Diplomacy
by Sgamer82
Summary: In the six months since Ghostly Eyes, Hyuga Hinata has come far. However, as she chaperones a visiting foreign kunoichi she'll be put through her biggest test yet. With dire consequences should she fail.
1. Thus Far

_**NARUTO**_  
_**DIPLOMACY**_  
**CHAPTER ONE**  
BY  
Sgamer82

"I am Hyuga Hinata."

It was something the girl, while looking at her reflection in a mirror, would say to herself once every day. She did this for many reasons. First and foremost, it was an affirmation. She had recently come out of an ordeal that had nearly cost, among other things, her very identity. The experience had taught her a great deal about herself. Even though it had been nearly half a year since that time, she spoke this affirmation in order to never forget what she had learned.

Hyuga Hinata had been captured by a tribe of primitives called the Nimmori. People of the Forest who lived in a deep forested valley that, until then, had been essentially cut off from the rest of the world for years. Its now deceased leader, the Ki'ge, had placed Hinata under a powerful hypnosis. One that had made her believe she was really a girl named Kashghyu N'ga, which translated from the Nimmori tongue meant "She of the Ghostly Eyes." The Nimmoris' goal had been to summon to this world a powerful demon they believed to be a goddess. They had needed Hinata, or more specifically, her clan's _Kekkei Genkai_, the _Byakugan_, to perform the ritual to do so. They had also intended to use Hinata's body as the vessel for their Goddess' soul. Had everything gone as planned, the demon would have taken Hinata's body and devoured her soul, essentially erasing Hyuga Hinata from existence.

"I am Hyuga _Hinata_."

Only through of the actions of her fellow Shinobi did she survive the ordeal. Her sensei and teammates, Yuhi Kurenai, Inuzuka Kiba, and Aburame Shino. Members of her clan's Branch Family, Hyugas Riisen, Uashi, Tomoko, and Kodomairu. And last, but most importantly, Uzumaki Naruto. It was him, above all others, who had saved her that fateful day. He had entered into serious battle with her in order to prevent her, as Kashghyu N'ga, from accepting the Goddess into her body. He had managed to reawaken Hinata's buried memory and identity. However, Hinata had been about to follow through with the ceremony anyway. Again, it was largely due to Naruto's interference that she had survived the day.

"I _am_ Hyuga Hinata."

The whole incident had wound up showing Hinata some very important facts about herself. She had never been the most confident person to walk the earth. She knew that as well as anybody. However, she did try. She worked hard to make herself stronger, even if it was only in her own eyes. Even so, she had desperately wished for someone to acknowledge her work, her skill, her strength. Nobody in her home had done so. Her father favored her younger sister, Hanabi, and most everyone else in the Hyuga clan paid Hinata little regard. The Nimmori, on the other hand, had given Hinata that which she craved. They saw her as their savior, they respected her strength, which exceeded or matched all but their very best warriors'. That was why, even after the spell on her had been broken, she had still been willing to follow through on summoning the _Mori no Megami_, the Goddess of the Forest. Even had she known, right from the start, what performing the ritual would have done to her, it wouldn't have affected her decision at that moment. Hinata knew this, and because of that she understood just how far she could fall.

While she had understood to what depths she could potentially sink, that same incident had also shown Hinata to just what heights she could potentially climb. The Nimmori had respected Hinata's power. Not because they had needed her, but because she had earned their acknowledgement. Da Iri'ga, the man who had been in charge of her while she was in the village, the man who now led the Nimmori since the passing of the Ki'ge, had regarded Hinata no differently than a father would his flesh and blood daughter. He and the Ki'ge had kept Kashghyu N'ga's confidence high, even when pieces of Hyuga Hinata's mind and memory came to her, draining that confidence in a heartbeat. That encouragement had eventually led to Kashghyu N'ga's using the painful memories of Hyuga Hinata and turning them to her advantage in battle, using techniques specific to the Hyuga clan, such as the famed _Kaiten_. This same encouragement would later allow her, as Hinata, to perform the _Hakkeshô Rokujûyonshô_ technique, which saved Naruto's life in the course of the conflict in the forest.

The battles in the Nimmori village had shown Hinata what she was like at both her best and her worst. She had a greater understanding of herself now then she ever had before. It was for that reason she could never let herself forget what had happened during her time there.

"_I_ am Hyuga Hinata."

In the weeks immediately following her return to Konoha, Hinata had entered into sessions with psychologists. It was largely just to make sure the hold of the Nimmori really was gone for good. Despite the occasional new, and odd, habits (such as running into the village's forests whenever day-to-day life got to her) Hinata was cleared of any danger of reverting back into the hypnotized state she had been in. Still, the doctors had instructed her to use tricks such as the daily affirmations to keep her mind focused. Hinata felt the need to do this, though, had long ago passed if it had even been present at all. She now did it to keep her lessons in mind. Though, today, she also had a more practical reason.

While she was being examined, Hinata had been taken off of active duty. However, that did not leave her with nothing to do. While she was not carrying out any official missions, she still had a very vital task to attend to.

As the only person in all of Konoha with firsthand knowledge of both the Nimmoris' culture and their language, Hinata had found herself in high demand from the village's Diplomatic Corps. Despite some initial mishaps while she found her footing, she was able to teach negotiators who would be heading into that area what to expect from and how to best communicate with the Nimmori in order to achieve the best results possible.

She had taken to the Diplomatic Corps. very quickly. Despite her growing adeptness at it, Hinata never thought of herself much as a warrior. She hated seeing people hurt or killed and preferred to avoid bloodshed when at all possible. For this reason she found herself falling in love more and more with diplomacy. Through diplomacy, it was possible to head off many situations before battle and bloodshed became a necessity. Studying some of the village's history archives, Hinata had been shocked to learn just how many conflicts and wars had been avoided with simple negotiations. That was why, after her off-duty time officially ended, she requested an opportunity to join Diplomatic Corps. of Konohagakure Village.

Her request was approved with little hassle. She had already proven herself fairly capable. Her recommendations regarding the Nimmori had led directly to what was considered, for the most part, to be a mutually beneficial conclusion. The Nimmori would be enabled to live freely for the most part. Konoha's negotiators insisted on being able to keep tabs on them as a precautionary measure for the sake of little villages surrounding the Nimmori valley.

For the most part, Hinata, still a _Genin_, just managed paperwork and ran errands. She had, however, managed to join with some diplomatic entourages into various countries, some hostile, some not, and learned a great deal. She had even carried out a few small missions all her own and done, in the words of her superiors, spectacularly well. Those same superiors informed Hinata that she had talent, she just had to learn how to best use it.

Now she was being given her biggest job to date. Her chance to truly prove herself. She was to be a chaperone. A girl from Kirigakure Village had come to Konoha asking for asylum. While Konoha was not on unfriendly terms with the ninja of the Mist, they weren't on friendly terms with them either. The girl's story suggested she had her own agenda, apart from her village, and was seeking information possibly held in Konoha to accomplish her goal. She was very open about her objectives, some of which even coincided with the village's own. For that reason, her asylum was being granted, but with conditions.

Among those conditions were that someone must always be with her. While she had guards keeping track of her in a provided apartment as well as when she studied or trained, she had been complaining of late that she was bored and wanted to get out and _do_ something. The Hokage wasn't unwilling to listen, but also wanted their guest's interactions with the outside to be as limited as possible. Both for the girl's protection as well as for that of the village's. Despite her openness, there was the very real possibility her motives were less than honest.

Fifth Hokage Tsunade decided that the best option, rather than an entourage of guards following her everywhere, would be a single chaperone. Someone Tsunade knew she could trust with the sensitive job. Someone who would be able to easily keep tabs should the village's guest decide to go off on her own. Most preferably, someone of the same gender and close to the other's age to make interaction easier and less conspicuous.

To that end, fourteen year-old Hyuga Hinata, wielder of the _Byakugan's_ near 360-degree range of vision, was chosen for the task of keeping an eye on sixteen year old Tsurukawa Chie. Now, she was agonizing about how to introduce herself upon meeting her charge.

"I am Hyuga Hinata."

* * *

**AUTHOR'S NOTE: **To be honest, this is more of a disclaimer than an Author's Note. While it goes without saying that I do not own _Naruto_ or anything related to it, save scenarios/characters I create on my own, there is one instance in this story where that doesn't apply either. The Mist girl (to be introduced in Chapter Two) is _not_ my creation. She was created by my friend toujin cthlu and is being used here (with her permission) because I found some (I hope) really good ways to use the character that no other (already established) character could work in. 

I can't claim full credit for the "Hinata-as-diplomat" idea, either. While working on the end of _Ghostly Eyes_ got the Writer's Spherea-rollin', it was largely inspired by the fanfic _Hinata's Story_ by KlosetAuthor. The first chapter features Hinata in a diplomatic entourage with Tsunade. Being a fan of ideas you just don't see very often (most fics peg her as a medic), and wanting Hinata to have moved on in some way since _Ghostly Eyes_, this seemed the perfect way to go. So I made use of it, though I think I'm taking it just a bit further than KlosetAuthor did (which is probably a good thing).

Finally, in the interest of continued honesty, I should probably point out that my update schedule for this story might be a bit iffy (at best). Half because of laziness/procrastination (which affected the later sections of _Ghostly Eyes_) and half because of a whole other idea in the works. An original story idea I thought of and found too good (or at least unusual) to simply pass up.


	2. Lady of the Cranes

**_NARUTO  
_DIPLOMACY  
CHAPTER TWO  
**BY  
Sgamer82

Hinata stood outside the door to a run down apartment in a run down apartment building. Truth be told, it reminded the girl a lot of the building Uzumaki Naruto lived in. A quick scan around showed Hinata that there were at least four men, members of the ANBU, in the vicinity. They were well camouflaged, Hinata found them only because she knew to look for them at all. She reviewed the address her superior had given her to make sure she wasn't about to knock on the wrong door.

There was a slight delay after Hinata's knock. It wasn't long though, until the door opened. The girl who answered looked exactly like the photo Hinata had seen. Rather, she would, if her slate gray hair were put in a high ponytail and she wore her everyday clothing in place of the gray pajamas decorated top-to-bottom with _origami_ cranes of various colors.

Because of its sheer necessity in her newly chosen line of work, Hinata had improved at speaking and interacting with others, gradually overcoming her shyness. Still, she had a difficult time dealing one-on-one with new people. As a result, she had a hard time starting up.

"Um… ahem… G-G-Good morning, Tsurukawa-san." Hinata began with a polite bow, "My name is Hyuga H-H-Hinata. Saruwatari-san assigned m-m-me to be your chaperone so you could g-g-go outside and see the v-village."

The slightly older girl stared at Hinata for a moment. Her blue-gray eyes fixed on her with a blank stare. Without warning, she slammed the door shut in Hinata's face. Hinata could only stand where she was, stunned. When about a minute had passed the door just as suddenly opened again.

"I'm so so sorry!" the girl said, "When you told me who you were I got so excited I had to get dressed right away and I completely forgot my manners. Tsurukawa Chie. Nice to meet you! Come in, come in!"

As Hinata removed her sandals and entered Chie's apartment, she didn't doubt the other's words one bit. It was very obvious she had begun getting dressed at a rapid pace. While she still wore the crane spattered pajama bottoms, her top had been replaced with a dark gray t-shirt and a jacket of a similar color. In her rush to reopen the door and let Hinata inside, Chie had only had time to get her left arm through one of the jacket sleeves, the rest of the garment flapped about loosely as Chie ran about the apartment grabbing the remainder of her clothes and rushing into the bathroom.

"There's tea on the table. Help yourself!" she called out through the closed door.

Hinata poured herself a cup. The tea had been prepared quite a while ago, suggesting Chie had been awake well before Hinata's arrival. It was well made, too. Two minutes later, Chie emerged from the bathroom looking exactly like the photos Hinata had seen.

Though two years Hinata's elder, Chie was barely taller than Hinata herself. Her gray hair was tied up high into a ponytail that extended down to the point her neck met her back. Along with the shirt and jacket, she wore dark blue trousers under a white skirt. Her face bore a sheepish expression.

"Again, I'm sorry 'bout slamming the door in your face." she said as she sat down at the table across from Hinata.

"It's all right, really." Hinata assured her, "I can understand how you might want to get out of here."

She really could. The place, while hardly a pig sty, was not the cleanest apartment in the world. Again, Hinata found herself thinking of Naruto, who was known to have kept his own apartment in similar shape. All over the place were dirty clothes, clean clothes, various items. The only thing that seemed to have been deliberately placed was a _Hitai-ate_ forehead protector bearing the insignia of the Village of Mist. To avoid alarming anybody unnecessarily, Chie wasn't wearing it while in Konoha.

"So, um… Tsurukawa-san, what would you like to do, today?" Hinata asked.

"Well, my first thought was something to eat." Chie said, "You guys have supplied some groceries and things, but I want a meal I don't have to cook myself right now. Something quick, though, I wanna see as much as I can today."

"How about r-ramen?" Hinata asked, "I know a good place."

"Sounds good." Chie replied, "Just one thing."

"Hm?"

"Drop the 'Tsurukawa-san' junk. I _hate_ being so formal." Hinata could have sworn she just saw Chie shudder.

"All right, Chie-san."

Chie shot Hinata a look. Hinata shrugged apologetically. She wasn't going to be overly formal. But that didn't mean she shouldn't at least be courteous. Chie, picking up on that, just chuckled.

"Good enough."

The two made their way to Hinata's choice of restaurant, the Ichiraku Ramen stand. They talked and got to know each other. Hinata's initial nervousness slowly faded as they spoke. It was a sign of just how well she was coming along with her shyness. Chie's casual attitude helped as well, as Hinata felt little pressure to act a certain way. That same casual attitude, however, was the most likely cause of the one quality of the other girl Hinata had any serious difficulty with.

"Phantom! Is that the place!"

Chie liked giving people nicknames.

She had all of the ANBU that guarded her regularly named for the animal masks they wore (Neko, Hound, and so on). Hinata had watched as Chie, after surprisingly serious thought on the subject, settled on "Phantom" for her. In part for her white eyes and in part from observing that Hinata, given the choice, preferred to keep quiet and blend in rather than make herself known. Accurate though it may have been, Hinata found the nickname rather embarrassing. She made a promise to herself to ask Chie to stop it. For now, though, while the two were still in the introductory stages she decided to let it go.

"You said it was called 'Ichiraku,' right?"

Hinata had no sooner given her affirmative before Chie sat down and placed her order. Hinata sat down but her order wasn't necessary.

"Your usual, Hinata-chan?" the old man behind the counter asked warmly. Hinata nodded an affirmative.

"Guess this place knows you, too." Chie commented as they received their bowls.

Hinata nodded and explained.

"I found out about this place because it was a favorite of Naruto-kun's."

Hinata had told Chie about Naruto. She hadn't fully intended to but when Chie noticed how Hinata blushed when first mentioning him she began needling for more and more information. Hinata wasn't used to that kind of persistence and, she thought, better she give in with Naruto than some other matter she wasn't allowed to speak of.

"I would pass by often and see him digging into whatever flavor he had chosen that day… or night." Hinata added with a smile, "I remember how often back then I would try and work up the courage to sit down and order a bowl myself. But the only time I could ever do it was when Naruto-kun wasn't there. So I didn't get to eat here very often."

Chie laughed. Among Hinata's details had been Naruto's love for ramen.

"That all changed after the Nimmori."

Hinata had briefly told Chie about the Nimmori. She had left out much of the details of the mission. In part simply because she was forbidden by her superiors to do so. Much of what happened was among what Hinata was instructed to consider classified information. Partly because Hinata simply didn't feel like sharing something more personal than even her infatuation with Naruto to someone she'd just met. Chie had been told simply that Hinata was rescued from a band of primitives and the experience had changed her outlook greatly.

"Naruto-kun and I had gotten to know each other better during that mission. He started to notice me, and I became braver about approaching him. He would sometimes invite me to share a bowl of ramen here with him. And I finally managed to sit down while he was still eating and join him. I started coming here more frequently, and so I became better known to Teuchi-ojisan and Ayame-san."

"So where's this guy of yours now?" Chie asked. Hinata blushed at his being called "her guy."

"He's not here anymore. He left to be trained by a famous shinobi of our village. I've been told he won't be back for at least two and a half years."

"You gonna wait for him?" Chie asked suddenly. Hinata spit out the noodles in her mouth in surprise.

"Of course!" then suddenly, "I-I mean… I…" Hinata stammered as her cheeks flushed an almost cherry red.

When Chie started laughing Hinata realized a simple fact. Chie had asked that simply to see what Hinata's reaction would be.

"Sorry, sorry." Chie said with a grin, "I just had to do it. You mad?"

"No." Hinata answered honestly, "Just embarrassed."

She was also wondering, with a sigh, what this day, and this mission as a whole, would hold for her.


	3. Firecracker

**_NARUTO_  
DIPLOMACY  
CHAPTER THREE**  
BY  
Sgamer82

Elsewhere in Konoha, another girl from the Hyuga clan trained.

Hyuga Hanabi was currently on the grounds of the home of a friend of her father's. According to her father, Hyuga Hiashi, the man was an old friend of his. One of his teammates from as far back as their days as _Genin_, in fact. Hanabi had been polite, as was required of her, but had made use of the first possible escape she could in order to avoid listening to the dull adult conversation. Her father, before allowing Hanabi to leave, had ordered her to do her daily exercises.

So she now worked in the small mansion's training field (a staple of any prominent Shinobi home). She had already done her taijutsu exercises and was now onto the part she had come to enjoy most. The training of her own _Byakugan_. Being nine years old and not yet a _Genin_, she still had a long way to go in mastering the power of her genetic inheritance. She could activate it, see the Chakra circulatory system enough to begin learning _Jûken_-style martial arts, and possessed impressive range for her age. On the other hand, she had yet to be able to see Tenketsu, the junction points within the human body's Chakra system that could be manipulated by a _Jûken_ master to increase, decrease or simply stop the flow of Chakra in another's body.

She held out her hands before her and performed the hand seals necessary for her _Kekkei Genkai's_ activation. The veins in her forehead bulged and her eyes underwent subtle changes as the _Byakugan_ appeared. Once its power was completely in effect, Hanabi began focusing.

What she was doing was primarily an exercise to increase her eyes' range. She focused her Chakra as best she could into her _Byakugan_, briefly strengthening its focus. After a while, this would become difficult, even painful, to maintain. However, every time Hanabi performed the technique her tolerance for the Chakra increased and it became easier to channel it. Almost to the point where she could do so instinctively until she approached her limit.

She had found this training far more interesting and rewarding than the basic taijutsu and ninjutsu she had so far been taught. The _Byakugan_ was something all in her clan possessed, and she was very eager to learn all she could of its abilities. As she did so, the doors would open to many new techniques that would make what she was learning now seem like child's play.

As her vision's range increased, she got a better idea of her surroundings. She saw the objects and people immediately around her. She could see behind the door to the mansion her father and his friend speaking. She could sense movement along the walls and roof of the compound from two Shinobi. She couldn't make out much detail of their features. But it was clear both had their sights set on her. She might've been worried if she didn't already know exactly who they were.

Hyuga Taiki and his wife, Kiriko. Two members of the Branch family and Hanabi's personal guardians. In the Hyuga clan, it was common for children of the Main Family to be watched over by members of the Branch. This was done until the child became a _Genin_, a junior level Shinobi and adult among the villagers of Konoha. From that point, their protection became their own responsibility. It was one Hanabi looked forward to, she didn't want to have to be protected. She wanted to be strong enough to defend herself.

Like her sister.

Unlike most, if not all, of the rest of the Hyuga clan, Hanabi did not see her elder sister as weak. On the contrary, she held a great deal of respect for her nee-san. Hanabi had developed a knack for the various Shinobi arts. However, where Hanabi was a natural, Hinata was not. She constantly saw her sister fall clumsily or fail spectacularly at many of the tasks given to her. For a long while, she had held that same low opinion of Hinata as the rest of the clan.

That was until she had witnessed to what lengths Hinata pushed herself. She had once snuck out of her room at night, hoping to sneak a snack from the kitchen, and saw her sister training on a practice dummy. Hanabi had seen her in that very place, with that very dummy, that very afternoon. The dummy's padding had been badly worn since then. The stuffing had begun to come out with all the pounding her sister had given it. Hinata looked as though she was beyond exhausted. Yet, she was still standing, still training, still working.

From that moment on Hanabi's view on her sister had changed. When she saw Hinata fail to perform as expected, Hanabi no longer saw the clumsy fool who couldn't so much as walk and chew gum at the same time. She saw someone who gave her all, and worked hard in spite of her every failure. Hanabi had watched her since, and felt that she, who success tended to favor, could never do what Hinata did. To get up no matter how many times she fell, that was a strength Hanabi wasn't sure she possessed. From then on, Hanabi had felt Hinata was the stronger of the two of them.

She had, more than once, wanted to say as much to Hinata. But could never quite find the words to do so. This was unusual, as Hanabi was a direct little girl. Where Hinata often kept quiet, Hanabi tended to speak her mind. Unfortunately, she didn't always use the right words when doing so. Her father had lectured her more than once about choosing her words more carefully. She genuinely did not wish to inadvertently insult her sister, so she kept quiet.

When her _Byakugan_ training became too much, she ended it and rested. She found a shady spot under a tree and plopped herself down to let her body recover a bit. She nodded off briefly, only to be awakened by the sound of a wooden door sliding open. Her father walked out with the man they were visiting. She immediately got up and snapped to attention at her father's approach.

Hanabi expected to be scolded for falling asleep when she was supposed to be training. Surprisingly, though, he said nothing, and his friend laughed.

"I guess _both_ your girls like to work themselves to exhaustion, Hiashi." he chuckled. Hanabi didn't miss the implication in his words.

"Both? You know Nee-san?" Hanabi asked.

Her father glared at her slightly for her sudden outburst, but said nothing. The man, a husky gentleman with black hair and a goatee covering part of a face that seemed too wrinkled for his age. His eyes suggested a man of good humor, a very significant contrast to Hanabi's very serious father.

"I should hope I know her." said the man, whose name Hanabi remembered to be Saruwatari Makoto, "Hinata-kun is my subordinate. She reports directly to me."

Hanabi was surprised. She hadn't known that.

"Which reminds me," he continued, with a smile at Hiashi, "Has she mentioned her newest assignment? It's a big one."

"She has not." Hiashi replied. "Hinata rarely speaks of her duties at the diplomatic offices unless asked directly."

"Guess that's no surprise. She isn't the type to brag, is she?"

_No._ Hanabi thought in agreement, _She really is not._

"So… um, sir, what is she doing right now?" Hanabi asked, being as polite as she could.

"Chaperoning a girl from the Village of Mist." Saruwatari answered. Hanabi was stunned, her sister was actually with a foreign ninja?

"Is that wise?" Hiashi asked, "I've heard of the girl you speak of and I don't know if Hinata is suited to the task."

"Actually, for many reasons she's an excellent choice." Saruwatari said with a chuckle, "If you're worried about the girl proving untrustworthy, Hinata-kun can deal with her should it happen. She and Hinata-kun are close in both age and skill. Another reason I put them together is that Hinata-kun will likely overcome a couple of her own weaknesses through this mission."

"Nee-san's not weak." Hanabi blurted out. She immediately regretted it as Hiashi gave her a stern "Hanabi…" of warning.

"I didn't say she was." Saruwatari said, completely ignoring the other man's chiding of his daughter, "I simply said she had _weaknesses_. There's a difference. Not everybody is weak. But every single person has at least one weakness, even the strongest in this world."

"What's her weakness, then?" Hanabi asked tentatively, looking at her father, who didn't react. He had decided that if Makoto wasn't bothered, he could let it go this time.

"Her biggest weakness is simple, she's shy. An introvert. She has difficulty dealing with people she isn't used to. Especially one-on-one. Tsurukawa, that's the girl," Hanabi nodded, "she doesn't have this problem. Quite the opposite. She's very outgoing. She even, for some reason, likes giving people nicknames. She'll make your sister speak up more whether Hinata-kun wants to or not." he laughed again. Hanabi, unable to resist after getting a mental image of her sister being forced to socialize, laughed too. She also thought she saw a smile cross her father's lips, but it vanished just as quickly.

* * *

**AUTHOR'S NOTE: **I'm not sure how Hanabi's personality will compare to the Hanabi that is in the manga (if/when she's developed further). Until then, I've based her personality largely on what little of her we saw in the third test of the Chuunin Exam during Naruto vs. Neji, where she expressed what was at least surprise when Hiashi told her that Neji was a more powerful Hyuga than both herself and even her sister. Beyond that, she's a kid. A talented kid, but a kid. 

Also, since my update schedule's not very frequent, I plan to make up for it slightly by updating two chapters at a time. So while the updates are sparse, you'll get a bit more for your wait.


	4. Crack Up

**_NARUTO_  
DIPLOMACY  
CHAPTER FOUR**  
BY  
Sgamer82

The day was coming to an end. As was Hinata's patience.

After ramen, Hinata had offered Chie a tour of the village. It wasn't anything fancy. In fact, she had given it many times before. It was a routine tour given to potential clients while they stayed in the village to hire Konoha-nin for whatever task they would need. Such tours were among Hinata's first solo assignments for the diplomatic corps. She had had some major difficulty at first, her reluctance in social situations making itself known despite what improvement she'd made by that time. Once she had managed to memorize the entire route and all the information the tour entailed, giving it had become much easier, even fun at times.

Still, as Hinata gave the tour this particular time, Chie had constantly interrupted with question after question. Most of them weren't even sensible questions. It was mostly a series of silly question after silly question. There had been so many that, along with what she'd observed of Chie's personality, Hinata was absolutely positive Chie was, for whatever reason, intentionally trying to get her goat. The only reason Hinata could come up with was that her charge was trying to test her chaperone in some way. Hinata was determined to not let Chie get to her. However, Chie was equally determined to get to Hinata and was currently using her latest tactic to irritate her.

"Why do you blush so much whenever I call you 'Phantom?'" Chie asked seriously. She had quickly picked up on Hinata doing that whenever Chie used that nickname, especially when she did so in public.

"I'm sorry, Chie-san." Hinata replied, "I just find it a little embarrassing."

"Oh…" Chie answered, "I'm sorry. I wasn't trying to embarrass you with the nickname. It's just something I do when I wanna be friends with someone.

"Well then," Chie continued as she suddenly became very thoughtful, "Maybe we should come up with something better."

"W-Wait!" stammered Hinata, who didn't want a nickname at all, "Th-That's no-"

"We could try shortening it!" Chie interrupted, "Phantom… Phantom… ah! We could call you 'Tom.' Or maybe 'Phanni.'" Chie quickly chose when she saw the horrified expression on Hinata's face, which only worsened with the second suggestion.

"Oh, come on. That one's cute."

Chie only pressed harder when Hinata didn't respond.

"Phanni? Answer me. Don't you think 'Phanni's' cute Phanni?"

Even someone as quiet and patient as Hyuga Hinata had her breaking point. And Chie had quite simply pushed Hinata to hers. She just couldn't hold it in any longer.

"Will you please cut that out!" Hinata suddenly shouted. Then suddenly clamped her hands over her mouth, "Oh, Chie-san! I'm so sorry!"

Chie only stood there, mouth hanging open and shocked expression in her eyes. Hinata was suddenly very nervous. She hadn't gone too far, had she? She wasn't all too relieved when Chie actually started laughing.

"You are something else!" she said as she wiped away tears, "I put all that effort I can getting under your skin; and not only do you last 'til almost sundown, you're still polite when you _finally_ crack! You're apologizing too! My own _mother_ could never put up with me that well!"

Hinata stood there, unsure of how to react. Was Chie making fun of her or was she paying the girl a compliment?

"I'm sorry, Pha… I mean, Hinata." Chie said when she finally calmed down, "Whenever I make new friends I always try to see just how far I can go before they get mad. I figure it's better to learn the other's limit right away than do it accidentally somewhere down the line."

"Th-that's all right, Chie-san." Hinata said, feeling a faint blush cross her cheeks at being called a "friend." She didn't really have many aside from her teammates and Naruto.

"But… c-could you please n-not… um…" Hinata stammered, trying to put it delicately.

"Annoy the hell out of you?" Chie asked.

Hinata nodded.

"Not a problem." Chie said before putting her hand over her heart, "I swear that I will never go out of my way to get on your nerves… deliberately."

"That will be fine." Hinata replied with a smile.

"One thing though…" Chie said, "… Can I still call you Phantom?"

Hinata, after a second of thought, gave a reluctant nod.

----------

As the sun began to set, Hinata and Chie decided to call it a night. Hinata would take Chie home before going to the Diplomatic offices to offer her report on Chie and the day's events. Considering the embarrassment she'd had today, she wasn't looking forward to it, but duty was duty.

Fortunately, since Chie's goal had been to see just how far she could push Hinata, she was no longer going out of her way to be a pain. Now that she knew Hinata's limit, she was keeping herself toned down and avoiding going too far. They chatted on the way back about various things. While most of the day had been spent with Chie getting Hinata to talk about herself, Hinata was now learning about her new friend. Chie had begun telling her about her Chûnin Exam a year and a half prior, approximately a year before Hinata's first shot at it.

"I was one of only two people who got promoted that exam." Chie said, a slight air of bragging entering her voice, "I remember the day we were first notified. My mother was just beaming with pride."

Hinata, trained to be more sensitive to body language, suddenly saw a flicker of emotion go over Chie's face. It was only for a moment it seemed as though a moment of sadness crossed by her friend's features. Chie also began to clutch her right hand around a canteen she had tied to a small strap that went around her torso.

"Chie-san…" Hinata asked tentatively, "Your mother… is she…?"

"Yeah." Chie answered, guessing Hinata's question, "She was killed recently. That's the main reason I'm here. I want to try and learn about the man who did it."

"Why would coming to Konoha help?" Hinata asked.

"There are only two things I know of my mother's killer." Chie responded, "One, he is a _Nuke-nin_ of this village. And two-"

Before Chie could respond, Hinata suddenly tensed up and assumed a fighting pose. Hinata had noticed something wrong with the scenery and, seeing with her _Byakugan_ a potential threat, acted immediately. Unsure of the exact situation, Hinata opted for a non-lethal attack to be safe. She reached into a pouch she carried next to her shuriken pouch. She extracted from it a handful of leaves and cast them into the air. As they fluttered before her and a slightly confused Chie, Hinata began weaving the proper ninjutsu signs to activate one of her recently acquired techniques. A power she'd learned as one of the forest.

"_Konoha no Shuriken no Jutsu!_" Hinata whispered lightly as she hit the last sign of the sequence. The leaves in front of Hinata suddenly began to glow and, with blinding speed, shot forward at a large stone that was sitting just by the road. However, as the leaves hit and embedded themselves into the rock, it suddenly flew into the air and, from underneath it emerged a very startled little girl.

"Hanabi!" Hinata asked in surprise. She next breathed a sigh of relief as she realized there was no danger. She looked to Chie though, and realized she wasn't reacting as well. She was standing there, her gaze shifting from Hinata and Hanabi's faces, both of which had the blood vessels of the head bulging out with the use of the _Byakugan_. Hinata didn't believe she was scared, but for some reason the sight of the two Hyuga girls with their _Kekkei Genkai_ activated was affecting her strongly.

What Hinata didn't realize was the second detail Chie knew of her mother's killer. The first was that he was a Missing Ninja of Konoha. The second was that he was a user of _Dôjutsu_. Ninja arts performed by the eyes.


	5. Future Plans

**_NARUTO_  
DIPLOMACY  
CHAPTER FIVE**  
BY  
Sgamer82

Hinata and Hanabi had helped Chie back into her apartment. When asked what had happened, Chie explained that her mother's killer had been a _Dôjutsu_ user and, ever since her death, Chie became very anxious whenever such powers were displayed. The Hyuga sisters both bowed deep and apologized for their use of the _Byakugan_.

"_Byakugan_?" Chie asked, "Is that what it's called?"

"It is our clan's _Kekkei Genkai_." Hinata explained with a nod.

Chie was a bit surprised to learn it wasn't simple technique, but a full fledged inherited power.

"People with Kekkei Genkai aren't common in Kiri." she explained, "In fact, people usually regard them with a good deal of hate."

Hanabi suddenly looked slightly nervous.

"Don't worry." Chie said, noticing, "I don't feel that way. _Dôjutsu_ makes me nervous, sure. But I wouldn't hate someone just because they could do it."

Hanabi looked relieved.

"Now that that's done," Hinata said, "Hanabi, why were you here?"

Hanabi suddenly looked very nervous. Hinata waited, trying to let her go at her own pace. Though, to Hanabi's point of view it felt like her big sister was staring her down waiting for an answer.

"Father and I were at the home of a friend of his. Sari… Saru… something…" she couldn't remember his full name, but Hinata let out a small gasp.

"Saruwatari-san!" Hinata asked. Hanabi nodded.

"That's it. He and father were _Genin_ together, I think."

"He never even mentioned it." Hinata interrupted. Hanabi let out a small "humph" and continued after a quick apology from her sister.

"He said you had some big job. Keeping an eye on a ninja from another country."

"I think she means me." Chie whispered loudly. Hanabi tried not to laugh.

"When we left, I asked Father if I could… well… If I could…"

"See the big, bad, foreign ninja?" Chie asked. Hanabi nodded.

"Is Father here?" Hinata asked, feeling a sudden bout of nervousness herself.

"No, he had other stuff to do."

"So you're here alone?" Hinata asked.

"Nee-saaaann…" Hanabi drawled, as though Hinata had said something very foolish, "You know I'm _never_ alone!"

She jerked her thumb to the window. Hinata realized what she meant but Chie craned her neck to see a woman sitting on a rooftop across the street.

"Who's that?" Chie asked.

"Kiriko-nee-san." Hinata answered, "A member of our clan's Branch Family."

"How come her eyes aren't white like yours?"

It was a legitimate question. Nearly all Hyuga had milky white eyes, but Kiriko had dark brown eyes.

"Kiriko-nee-san isn't a Hyuga by blood. She married a cousin of ours, another in the Branch family, Hyuga Taiki."

"And judging by our little Firecracker's comment about not being alone, I think it's safe to assume she's a kind of bodyguard?"

"With her husband, yes." Hinata answered with a nod. Hanabi looked confused.

"Fai… ya..?" she muttered.

"Chie-san likes giving people nicknames." Hinata whispered to her.

"Really!" Hanabi said far more loudly, "Neat!"

"Don't be too impressed. Firecracker's just another word for 'Hanabi.'" Chie said, "Not as hard to come up with as 'Phantom' but I think it fits you just as well."

Hanabi laughed, a small blush tinting her cheeks. Hinata figured she must like the name.

"Phantom…" Hinata heard Hanabi mutter. Hinata's expression soured when she realized her little sister was laughing at _her_ nickname.

The next hour passed with Hanabi asking Chie various questions about the land of Mist. Most of them were questions Hinata herself had asked, such as the general terrain and interesting sights. There also some Hinata had thought of but hadn't had the nerve to ask. For Hanabi, though, that wasn't a problem.

"Have you ever fought any Leaf ninja?" Hanabi asked.

"Not really." Chie replied, "Excluding your Nukenin, I've never seen ninja from Konoha before. I've had a mission or two where I met some Suna-nin from the Wind country, though."

Hanabi listened attentively as Chie began a tale about a mission into the Lightning Country border with her sensei and teammates that wound up with them facing Sand ninja after the same goal as them.

"Well, that's not entirely true." Chie amended, "We actually acted as decoys for that very situation, while another group went after the target."

"What'd you get!"

"Nope, sorry!" Chie said as she held up her finger, "But that's classified. A secret!"

Hanabi pouted but didn't press. Hinata was a bit disappointed as well, but less surprised. She was keeping secrets from Chie for that very reason. It was fully expected that her new friend would be doing exactly the same, given their situation.

"Tell another one!" Hanabi insisted, wanting another story.

"No." Hinata said, "It's about time we went home, Hanabi."

Hanabi threw herself onto the floor with a disgruntled "Awww!", but complied when Hinata insisted.

Chie cheerfully wished them a good night as they left and Hinata noticed she watched them from the window waving as they walked home.

----------

I watched the girls leave with a sense of delight. I could not believe my luck. My objective has just been made several times easier. Looking at the young woman across the street, I realized that not only had my target put itself into place, but now so had the perfect patsy.

With a smile I thought of what those foolish Hyuga would think, when they eventually realized (and I would make sure they did) that while they had been busy going after the wrong person, I had caused one of their own to be lost to them forever.

I began to laugh. Soon, very soon, now. My revenge would be complete. Those white-eyed bastards would regret the day they took away what was most precious to me.

----------

"Do you think I can come and see Chie-nee-chan again?" Hanabi asked her big sister as they walked home.

"If Saruwatari-san and Chie-san are both okay with it, I think that'll be all right." Hinata told her.

* * *

**AUTHORS NOTES:** Sorry (again) for the spotty updating. As I knew it would, real life,procrastination, and my other project have taken up most of my time. On the upside, I finished the first chapter of my original fiction project. If anybody's interested, you can see it at Fiction Press. If nobody minds, I'd appreciate some feedback there,as, while I've grown confident in my fanfic ability, this is my very first attempt at something all my own and I'm a bit self-conscious about it. 


	6. The Ways of the Crane

**_NARUTO_  
DIPLOMACY  
CHAPTER SIX**  
BY  
Sgamer82

The next morning found Hanabi unable to visit Chie with Hinata. Not because of Chie or Saruwatari, but because of their father. Hanabi had forgotten that Hyuga Hiashi had her scheduled for training, and Hanabi wouldn't dare try to skip it. Nor did she wish to, she told Hinata, as the day's training consisted of learning to see _Tenketsu_, the points on the human body that are to the body's Chakra system as pressure points were to the physical body.

Hinata was surprised, as Hanabi was younger than she when she had begun. Even Neji had just mastered it by the time of the _Chûnin_ Exam. Both he and Hinata had been working at it for a while beforehand, as well. That made it likely Hanabi wouldn't progress very far very quickly. Still, Hinata wished her little sister luck and went on her own way.

Hinata had considered what to do this second day with Chie, if she wished to go out. And go out Chie would. Hinata had grasped enough of Chie's personality to gather she was the type who didn't like to stay in one place given the choice. However, where to take Chie and what to do presented some problems. While Chie was a guest of Konoha, the village council saw no reason to restrict her to only her borrowed apartment. However, she was still a kuno'ichi from a foreign village. One whom, regardless of her actual objectives, would remember and take back home with her any secrets she might uncover regarding Konoha's community and ways.

That in mind, Hinata's plans for the most part had to be cleared with her superiors before she could do anything. The tour had been easy. It's given to nearly all foreign visitors to Konoha, ninja or civilian. From there, things got tricky. But finally Hinata came up on an idea that Saruwatari had approved whole-heartedly. Hinata would take Chie through a small trek through the fields and forests outside the village. Hinata thought Chie might enjoy a nature walk, and little was kept in the area Hinata was to go that Chie shouldn't see. In fact, some areas were actually used during _Chûnin_ Exams, so Chie's seeing them wasn't a problem at all.

That thought reminded Hinata, as she knocked on Chie's door, to ask her superiors what was done for visiting ninja when those examinations were held. At first there was no answer. Hinata checked the time and wondered if she'd gotten here too early and Chie was still asleep. She knocked again, this time receiving a "come in" in response. Hinata opened the door and walked in. As she removed her sandals she took a look and gave a sudden gasp of fright. In the center of the room was a chair, tipped over so that its legs were sticking out and up. This wouldn't have frightened Hinata were it not for the fact that standing on top of that chair, balancing herself on one of the chair's legs with only one of her legs, was Chie.

Worse yet, Hinata's gasp had surprised Chie and she began losing her balance. Before Hinata could move however, Chie managed a leap off of the chair, landing on her right hand and balancing herself as she tipped forward to get back on her two feet. When she and Hinata's faces met, Hinata noticed Chie wasn't happy.

"What was that!" Chie demanded, "You nearly made me fall!"

"S-Sorry!" Hinata stammered, "I-I just s-saw you standing on the chair a-and…"

"You got worried. I see. Forget it…" Chie said, waving her hand dismissively. Then blushed a bit herself, "Sorry I blew up at ya."

"I-It's okay…" Hinata replied, "But that was dangerous! What were you doing?"

"Training." Chie said simply, "It's part of my morning routine. And I never slip in my routine if I can help it. Tea?"

Hinata nodded and accepted a cup Chie had poured and offered.

"So just what kind of training was that?"

"_Tsuru-Nindô_." Chie answered, "The Crane Ninja Way. It's the tradition of my mother's family, passed down the generations. I guess it's kinda like your eyes, but not genetic."

Hinata nodded. Along with the Hyuga, there were other clans who passed down abilities and techniques.

"_Tsuru-Nindô_ is predicated on one simple principle. Balance. Balance in all things, physical, mental, and emotional. My standing on one leg is a traditional stance for our Taijutsu styles. My mother once told me that those who have truly mastered _Tsuru-Nindô_ could battle small armies without ever balancing themselves on more than one limb at any given time."

"Wow." Hinata exclaimed, "So your standing on the chair was-"

"-to help strengthen my balance. Yeah. Keep it, and myself, steady. So, what's planned today."

"If it's okay with you, I know some places in the forests in the village that are rather interesting."

"A nature walk? Sounds good to me." Chie said, "Just let me go change."

She stood up and gestured at her origami-printed pajamas before going to the bathroom to change into more appropriate clothes. Hinata finished her tea, ate some crackers she sincerely hoped weren't all Chie had eaten that morning, and waited.

----------

"This place is called the Forest of… um… Death." Hinata explained as they approached a large, fenced-in forest, "This is where the second portion of my _Chûnin_ Exam was held."

"Deadly creatures of all varieties inside?" Chie asked. Hinata nodded.

"Had to be tough."

"Not as much as you'd think." Hinata said, "M-My teammates and I were able to complete our objective within the forest and reach our final goal fairly quickly. So we weren't in there for long…"

"But you didn't pass the exam yourself?"

Hinata shook her head, "They held preliminaries before the final test. Only one of my teammates got through, but he wasn't promoted."

The Forest of Death was only one of the various locations Hinata had brought Chie to. Among others were basic training grounds for some of the village's ninja and the memorial stone bearing the names of those who died in the line of duty. Chie had shown some interest in this, mentioning to Hinata that her mother had been placed on a similar memorial in Kiri.

"We Mist Ninja aren't a sentimental crowd." She had said, "But we do believe in acknowledging those who give their lives."

After paying her respects, Chie asked Hinata what was next. Hinata explained the next destination she had in mind was a clearing in the forests.

"It's about fifty meters north of here." Hinata said.

"Just gotta trek through that forest?" Chie asked. Hinata nodded, and before her head was completely up again Chie had taken off into the forest with a cry of "Race ya!"

"Wait!" Hinata cried out as she gave chase. Chie wasn't supposed to run off unsupervised. Both Chie and Hinata could get in deep trouble. Granted, she wasn't out of Hinata's sight, as Hinata's _Byakugan_ range was more than enough to keep her in sight. But it was still a serious breaking of rules and, Hinata thought, were Chie with anybody but her, the Mist Kuno'ichi would never have dared attempt this.

Like much of what Chie did, Hinata found herself wondering whether or not she should feel complimented.

As Hinata ran after Chie she activated her _Byakugan_ to keep the other girl in her sight. Hinata was dismayed to learn that Chie had already earned a considerable head start. Hinata jumped into the forest branches, giving chase. Part of her was annoyed at Chie's thoughtless actions. Another part of Hinata was determined make Chie know that. Finally, to Hinata's surprise, there was also something within her that simply didn't want to lose the race.

Lose she would not. Even with Chie's head start, Hinata noticed the girl doing something that would ensure Hinata could beat her. Chie seemed unfamiliar with forest terrain in general. Not surprising, since the Water country was mostly islands, to Hinata's knowledge. As a result, Chie, while still moving with good speed, was also taking care to only land on branches that she would be sure to support her. Hinata, however, didn't need to fear that.

Since returning from the Nimmori, Hinata had developed a new habit. Something she did whenever she felt stressed. Though it had caused worries of her relapsing at first, it was nothing more than a way of relieving her anxiety. That habit was to simply run through the forests. Leaping above the tree tops and through the branches. She had done it fairly often in the past half-year. As a result, Hinata was very familiar with every twig and leaf of Konoha's forested areas. Particularly this one, as it held particular value to her. As such, she knew full well exactly which branches were strong and which would be unable to support her.

She leapt her way through the woods. Taking hold and jumping again of what were little more than twigs attached to the trunks. This, the _Byakugan_, and her detailed knowledge of the general terrain allowed her to not only reach Chie's location but completely pass up the other girl as well. The _Byakugan_ showed Hinata Chie's wide-eyed face as Hinata burst past her.

Hinata watched Chie as she made her way to their finish line. True to her words about _Tsuru-Nindô_, Chie was balancing herself on no more than one appendage. Landing on one foot and using that to leap to the next point, grabbing a branch with a hand and swinging herself to her next branch. With the ease with which she made such leaps single-footed, Hinata wondered just how much power Chie's Taijutsu carried.

Finally, the light at the end of the tunnel appeared. Hinata jumped off the final tree and landed in the clearing she had meant to arrive at just moments before Chie emerged from the canopy and landed right beside her. Hinata felt suddenly self conscious when Chie stared at her in astonishment.

"From the forest?" Chie asked.

"Not entirely…" Hinata confessed, "I go through these woods a lot. So I know this area very well. Particularly the tree tops."

"Then I guess I don't mind losing… _that_ much."

The area was just a short distance away from the grounds of the Hyugas' home. It was a clear field, much like the one they'd started from. Rather than a somber memorial, though, this place contained much happier things. Scattered throughout were large tubes, a short wall littered at the bottom with unusually cute graffiti, climbing bars, and similar objects. One corner of the field was clear, though there was a high fence just at the edge of the area. Chie recognized what this place was meant to be at once.

"I never had anything like this when I was a kid." she said, staring.

"I used to come to this playground a lot when I was a small." Hinata said, "It was actually pretty quiet most of the time. It's quite far out compared to others in the village itself."

"That why you picked it?"

"Well… partly. This particular play area was and still is a common place for Hyuga children to play when they aren't training. It's usually preferred over other places because… well…" Hinata felt more self-conscious, "Small children don't understand what the _Byakugan_ is… and all blood Hyuga have-"

"You got picked on as a kid?" Chie asked. Hinata nodded.

"Not… not a lot… but yes… So I came here."

Chie could see that this place meant a lot to Hinata. Hinata looked at all the various equipment to play and climb on with a certain fondness reserved for special memories.

"This is a nice place." Chie commented.

"I'm glad you like it." Hinata replied.

The girls took their time at the playground. Chie looked at the various equipment, and climbed up the wall, noticing that a lot of kids had brought pens or paintbrushes and written their names at the top. Chie couldn't help but point out Hinata's name was noticeably absent up there. When nostalgia grew old, they sat and chatted about whatever entered their minds. Both Chie and Hinata were having a good time. Better than either of them can remember having had for a while.

When the sun began to set, they decided to head back to Chie's. Hinata had almost completely forgotten until they were right at Chie's door that she had something to tell her.

"A festival?" Chie asked, when Hinata had recalled it.

"Yes… I-it's an annual event in the village. If y-you're interested at all, S-Saruwatari-san already said that it was all right for you to go."

"Mmm…" Chie said as she thought to herself, "When is it?"

"Next week." Hinata replied.

"It'll depend on how my _Dôjutsu_ research goes, but I think I can do that."

"Wonderful." Hinata said, "I'll see if I can get you a _yukata_ oh… I need to see if mine still fits… And Hanabi will want to see you for certain…"

"We'll figure it all out." Chie told her, mostly to prevent Hinata from listing every single thing that needed to be done, "See you tomorrow."

"Good night." Hinata said.

----------

As soon as I was sure the door was closed and the girl was gone, I reached into my shirt and pulled out the small transmitter hidden inside.

"Our chance will come next week, during the festival."

With that one sentence, I cut the connection. With that one sentence, the fate of the Hyuga clan was sealed.

* * *

**AUTHOR'S NOTE:** Sorry for taking so long. As I fully expected, along with real life, other projects have taken my attention. Not the least of which are my original story (_Middle-Aged Magical Girl Mahonna_) but I've also been playing _Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas_ (nearing 100 completion, too). Fortunately, we're approaching the parts I'm most eager to get to, so progress might pick up when I get to them. It's just the actual getting there that gets me.  



	7. Dog Boy

**_NARUTO_  
DIPLOMACY  
CHAPTER SEVEN**  
BY  
Sgamer82

A few days later, Hinata was leaving the Hyuga grounds with a bundle in her arms. Just another of the preparations for the upcoming summer festival that Hinata had to finish. She had nearly reached the gates when she heard her father's voice behind her.

"I need to speak to you, Hinata."

Hinata steeled herself before turning around. Their relationship had actually seen some improvement in the last several months. Even so, Hinata could not help but find Hyuga Hiashi a very intimidating presence.

"Yes, Father." she said, giving him a bow of greeting.

"Were you out last night…"

"Um… no… I came right home when I was done at the diplomatic offices." Hinata answered truthfully.

"That was not what I meant." Hiashi told her. Hinata felt a sudden twist in her stomach. With her work at the Diplomatic Corps. keeping her busy during the day, Hinata had only found time to run through the woods at nights. Often late at night, after everyone else had gone to sleep. It had not taken long for her father to figure this out. It had taken even less time to learn of his disapproval of her activities.

"No, Father. I did not leave my room last night." Hinata answered honestly. She hadn't left. Not out of fear of her father's disapproval, but simply from exhaustion. Her work at the offices and time spent with Chie as well as her regular training often left her too exhausted to indulge herself.

"Hm… That's unfortunate." he said, more to himself than to Hinata.

"But Father, I really did no-"

"I believe you, Hinata." Hiashi said.

Hinata was surprised, and more than a little confused.

"There was a theft last night." Hiashi explained, noticing her bewilderment, "I only wished to know if you'd left your room on the chance that you might have seen something."

"Oh." Hinata answered, "Well… I-I'm sorry I wasn't any help."

"Do not be." Hiashi told her. He was as curt as he ever was in his speech, but Hinata knew her father well enough to know he was being sincere. To her surprise, he didn't simply end the conversation.

"Are you seeing that girl, today?"

"N-No." Hinata replied, "Chie-san is devoting herself to her studies today. Saruwatari-san instructed me to take the day off." she held up the bundle in her arms, "I'm going down to the clothing store to have my yukata refitted, or replaced if that won't work."

"For the festival?"

Hinata nodded.

"Will you be taking Hanabi, Father?"

"Not this year." he answered, "Hokage-sama has entrusted me with a mission that I can not refuse. At Hanabi's… insistence… (Hinata took "insistence" to mean "begging") I will be allowing her to go unchaperoned."

It was far from proper, but Hinata couldn't help raising an eyebrow. Hiashi gave a low laugh.

"As unchaperoned as she ever is, of course. Taiki and Kiriko will be watching her. Though I've instructed them to let Hanabi go about her business unless she is in danger."

"I'm sure Hanabi will enjoy herself."

"Yes. Which reminds me," Hiashi said, "Can you take Hanabi with you today? She's outgrown her own kimono and needs a new one for the festival."

"Of course." Hinata replied.

"Very good. Wait here for a moment and I'll send her to you." As her father walked off, Hinata had a sudden thought.

"Father, what was stolen?" she asked.

"Nothing you need to worry about." Hiashi said without breaking stride.

----------

Hinata and her younger sister walked the streets of the village. They had just finished their kimono shopping and were looking at other shops now. Hinata's yukata just needed a bit of extending but Hanabi had needed a new one entirely. Hanabi seemed very pleased with it though. Likely because Hinata had let Hanabi pick the pattern for herself. It was a pale blue robe with a light scattering of sakura blossoms on it.

"Do you think Chi-nee will like it?" Hanabi asked as she held up the bag containing her new yukata.

"Um… Chi… nee?" Hinata asked.

"Chie-nee-chan." Hanabi said in explanation, "She gave me a name, so I came up with one for her."

"Oh." Hinata smiled, she had the feeling Chie would like the gesture, "I'm sure she will like it just fine."

"The name or the kimono?"

"She'll like both, I think."

"Good."

The Hyuga sisters continued on. Hinata intended to stop for lunch at Ichiraku with Hanabi. The younger girl was curious, having once heard Hinata talk about it. They were just about there when an odd sight caught their (and everybody else's) attention.

Walking in the middle of the street was a boy. As he watched his messy blonde hair Hinata's heart began to pound, a sudden hope beyond hope entering her mind. For a brief, shining moment, Hinata believed, even though it couldn't be…

"N-Naruto-kun?"

Then she noticed the boy was walking on the street on all fours, sniffing everything close by just like a curious, exploring animal.

He also bore little resemblance to Naruto on closer inspection. He was far more slender, for one. His hair was much longer. And his eyes were a blue-green color, where Naruto's were purely blue. Those eyes had an odd look in them, as if they weren't seeing what was around him.

As Hinata watched the person, he was indeed not using his eyes, relying more on hearing and smell to detect what was around him. He walked down the street, nearing the ramen stand Hinata and Hanabi had been approaching. He seemed enticed by the food, but at the last moment stopped and changed the focus of his attention.

His pale eyes stared right at Hinata's. He bound over, running on both hands and feet, stopping directly in front of her. He sat and looked up at her much like a curious dog. The canine resemblance only grew when he next began sniffing at her. Hinata could do little but blush at the bizarre action. She was tempted to shoo him away, but at the moment she wasn't feeling threatened so much as embarrassed. She didn't know if he'd change tune if she did anything hostile.

Hinata heard her little sister, as well as some of the onlookers, giggling and laughing as the boy circled her. He seemed to have become keen on her hair. Hinata could only guess that he was perhaps attracted to the scent of the shampoo she had used that morning.

When he was apparently satisfied, he moved on to the next closest person there, Hanabi. Hinata was far more tempted to try and make the boy leave now that it was Hanabi in his sights and not herself. She moved to shoo him off. But a kunai from above beat her to it.

The boy's instincts and reflexes were sharp. He detected and evaded the kunai moments before it flew by Hanabi's head and into the dirt where the boy had just been standing. The boy growled as he sniffed at the air, finally turning towards the rooftops of a building just behind Hanabi.

Standing on that roof was a man dressed in flowing robes. His long, slick black hair and pale white eyes marked him as a Hyuga. The _Hitai-ate_ headband over his forehead marked him as a member of the Branch Family. He leapt from the rooftop and placed himself between the sisters and the strange young man, immediately entering a Hyuga style fighting stance upon touching the ground.

"Hanabi-sama!" He called out, "Find a place to hide. I will deal with this!"

The boy, obviously panicked by the attack, fled. He ran away on all fours into an alleyway. Dropping her packages, Hinata followed the man as he ran into it after the boy. The alley went out into the next street which, unfortunately, was rather crowded, so they couldn't locate him. The man brought his hands up and activated his _Byakugan_, Hinata followed suit.

Expanding the range of their sight, they quickly discovered the boy not too far from where they were. He was no longer moving and had, in fact, been found by someone else. Someone who appeared to scold the strange boy before leading him away. Someone Hinata recognized.

"Kiba-kun?"

"You know that strange person?" the man asked.

"I'd never met him until now." Hinata answered, "I'm referring to the boy who was speaking to him. Inuzuka Kiba-kun. He is my teammate under Kurenai-sensei. And I think I remember him mentioning that person now."

"Who is he?" Hanabi asked from behind them. Both Hyuga started in surprise.

"Hanabi-sama," the man began, sighing wearily as he did, "I believe we have discussed this in the past. When I tell you to 'hide' I mean 'get out of sight and out of danger,' and not 'follow right behind _into_ danger.'"

"Nee-san followed you!" Hanabi shot back.

"Hinata-sama is a shinobi, as I am. I had no fear for her. You, however, are a child still training. You are in no position to be endangering yourself."

Hinata remained silent during Taiki's scolding. He was conveying the message much more clearly than Hinata felt she would have. It was clear, from how easily he said everything and how Hanabi seemed to ignore him, that Taiki was used to giving Hanabi lectures along this line. When it was done Taiki smiled, his features, which made him look older than his 30 years, becoming gentle. He kneeled down to look Hanabi in the eyes.

"Hanabi-sama, you will one day become a ninja of Konoha. Also, you are the precious child of the Hyuga clan's leader. For these reasons, it is as much your responsibility to remain safe for the present as it is to become strong for the future. Your father, your elder sister, even myself and Kiriko, would not wish you to come to harm until the time comes that it cannot be avoided."

Hanabi had a harder time ignoring that. She looked away from Taiki's eyes, and avoided Hinata's gaze as well.

"I… I'm sorry." she whispered, "I'll listen next time."

"Very well." Taiki told her. He stood, giving Hinata a bow.

"Hinata-sama. I leave Hanabi-sama to you."

With that, he leapt away back to the rooftops. There was a moment's silence, until…

"So, Nee-san, who _was_ that weird guy?"

"I'll tell you while we eat." Hinata answered. As they headed back through the alley. As they did, they heard someone running behind them, followed by Kiba's voice shouting "Hey! Dammit, Madoshi! Will you get back here!"

----------

"So he's a dog-boy?" Hanabi asked, after eating a piece of pork from her ramen bowl.

"Not exactly." Hinata replied, "Let me try again."

Hanabi listened as, once more, her sister recounted what she had been told by Inuzuka Kiba. A mission which had, initially, involved dealing with a pack of wild dogs. A team of Inuzuka were tasked with luring them away from towns to the northwest they had been harassing and towards grounds where they would find better hunting. The team had gotten an unexpected surprise when, along with the dogs, they'd found a boy not much older than 11 or 12. Though the circumstances of how he had found himself with the dogs was unknown, he had been with them for several years before that point. Due to his living in the wild, on instinct more than rationality, he had become quite feral and dog-like.

Obviously, they could not leave this child alone, so the Inuzuka team had brought them home with them. The Hokage had reluctantly allowed the boy to stay in the village, under the care of the Inuzuka, who actually had some experience with this type of occurrence.

"Why is that?" Hanabi had asked.

"The Inuzuka clan work very closely with dogs." Hinata explained, "They are their partners, as close as siblings. As a result, some members of the clan get… well… confused."

"Huh?"

"According to Kiba-kun, there are some Inuzuka who, when they grow old, begin to behave more canine than human. This is usually attributed to senility setting in. Sometimes, it can also happen to younger members of the clan after enduring an incredible amount of stress or trauma on the battlefield. Their minds regress, becoming less human and more canine."

"And that's how it is with this Madoshi person?" Hanabi asked, "'Cause of what he went through, he acts more like a dog than a person?"

Hinata nodded.

"So he's a dog-boy." Hanabi concluded.

"No, that's not it." Hinata said.

"He's a boy who acts like a dog! Dog-boy!" Hanabi insisted.

"Very well…" Hinata conceded.

Behind them, a rather flustered and frustrated Inuzuka Kiba passed by. Too intent on locating his runaway charge that he never greeted, or even noticed, Hinata and her sister before moving on.

* * *

**AUTHOR'S NOTE:** I gotta admit. This chapter had me blocked for a while. The main reason, really, is that this is what I would call a "between chapter." It's something I have to do to reach the later point, and which I can't just skip over to get to that future point sooner (much as I'd like). Ah well, it ended up working out fairly well, so I can't complain (too much). Though I do think it came off a bit more awkwardly than I would've liked.  



	8. Attack

**_NARUTO_  
DIPLOMACY  
CHAPTER EIGHT**  
BY  
Sgamer82

"You're late." he said from his hiding place.

"It's hard to get away from prying eyes. As you well know." I told him in reply.

"Yes, yes, you're right." he said. From that second exchange I located my partner. He was crouched down in a corner of the alley. Hunched over, looking like a common beggar, to avoid detection. When I told him it was clear, that nobody was close enough to see or over hear us, he chuckled.

"I already knew." he said to me, standing up to his full height, running his hand through his currently messy hair.

"You promised me…" I told him. There was only one thing he could do to be so certain.

"Relax, my love. I only meant that I'd arrived early, and made sure this alley was abandoned."

A sigh of relief escaped me. I felt foolish. Of all the people in the world, how could I not trust him. For my revenge… for _our_ revenge, he was risking his very life. To let me know I was forgiven, he approached and embraced me. We remained that way for a moment, I could feel him breathing in fragrances of the perfumes and shampoos I used.

"It really would go easier if you'd just let me use it. It would help us ensure our success." he said, "But I know how you feel…"

"I can't look at you when you use it." I told him, fighting back emotion as I did.

"Yes, I know. And I promised I would not."

"So, are we ready." I asked, wanting badly to change the subject.

"Yes, I've thought of just what we need to do to get out of the way anyone who would stand between us and our goal. You just need to stay close to her until it's time."

"I shall. Though I admit, now that we're so close, I find it hard to hold back the urge to just rip out her throat."

"I know, my love, I know." he said.

"Where are you!" a voice called out, startling us. My other recognized it more than I.

"Him again." he sighed, "I'll need to be on my way. If we're seen together in this place it might raise unwanted questions."

"Agreed." We leapt to the roofs and parted to attend to our individual business just as a boy in a gray coat appeared, a small puppy at his side, looking for someone in the alley.

"Damn… thought I heard him here…" I heard him mutter as he left.

----------

The days passed normally until the festival finally came. Hinata was more excited than she thought she would be. It had been longer than she'd realized since she wore anything save her ninja clothes and weapons (which she kept on her even as she worked in the Diplomatic Offices). Tonight, though, she was just another girl. No weapons, no ninjutsu, just Hyuga Hinata and her friend.

That was something else that excited her. This would be her very first time going with a friend. She had attended before with Kurenai, Shino, and Kiba (and entertained the occasional fantasy about going with Naruto), but it wasn't quite the same as having with her another girl of close age. Someone she could speak to without any conversation going into "shop talk" (In fact, Hinata had little fear of this, as both girls had made every attempt to avoid talking too much about their respective ninja cultures).

Her teammates, who were accompanying her at least to start with, noticed and commented on her good mood. Kiba's comments being more of the teasing variety, while Shino simply observed her high spirits. There were five of them at the moment (six if Akamaru was counted). Hanabi, who Hinata was taking to the festivities, but who had made a point of explaining that she only wanted company until they got to the village's main street, where the majority of game booths would be.

"The moment we're there, I am on my own! No grown-ups, no supervision! Just me!"

Hinata cast a glance behind them and saw Kiriko staying close behind but not intruding. For a moment, Hinata considered inviting her, but she knew Kiriko would refuse. Her duty tonight was watching Hanabi, but otherwise letting the little girl do as she pleased. She couldn't partake in the fun without letting her attention slip.

Shino was the only one wearing his normal clothes instead of a yukata. He insisted it would not look right on him, and Hinata was inclined to agree. Kiba, however, was more traditional, wearing a yukata that was significantly less decorated than Hanabi's sakura kimono. Hinata herself wore a simple pale pink robe, mostly undecorated save a sash with cloud designs. Both sisters had in their hair a flower chosen from the garden on the Hyuga estate's garden. The feral boy Madoshi was present as well and once again in Kiba's charge. He was walking, on all fours, in front of Kiba and behind Akamaru. Kiba was doing his best to make sure the boy couldn't run off on him again. Their teacher Kurenai, unfortunately, was in the hospital recovering from minor injuries she had taken on a her last mission, so she was unable to come tonight.

They had one more stop to make, and that was to retrieve Chie. When the approached the tenement she was in, Hinata walked up the stairs to her door on her own. She was nervous about Chie meeting her teammates and friends. She had sworn Hanabi to secrecy and told them Chie was just a visiting dignitary, but Hinata worried the two boys would see through her story.

Fortunately, Chie looked very much the civilian when she stepped out. A dark gray yukata decorated in Chie's customary origami cranes.

"Very nice, Chie-san." Hinata said.

"Thanks." Chie replied, "I usually keep it with me just in case I need to be a normal girl for a mission."

"Is that what you would call this?" Hinata asked as they went towards the stairs.

"Only because I'm in Konoha on business." Chie told her, "Still, this is probably the first time I've ever worn this without having some ulterior motive."

Their conversation changed subjects when they reached the stairs. Chie couldn't be heard discussing ninja and ulterior motives with such familiarity. Hinata's attempt at deception proved short-lived, however. As soon as they were close Kiba's dog, Akamaru, began barking. Kiba suddenly got a serious expression on his face and put himself between Chie and Madoshi. Hinata saw one of Shino's eyebrows raise.

"That ain't no dignitary." Kiba growled. Hinata suddenly felt her heart race. She knew Kiba's dog could sense a person's chakra. But she hadn't realized it could tell the difference between a civilian and a ninja.

"Hinata." Shino said, clearly expecting an explanation. Hinata gave it, briefly explaining the arrangement between Mist ninja Chie and Leaf village leaders without going into detail.

"In exchange for allowing her access to certain materials, she's giving us vital information regarding some outside threats to the village."

"Such as herself?" Kiba muttered.

"Kiba-kun!" Hinata gasped.

"She is a foreign ninja, Hinata," Shino told her, "We have every reason to be wary."

"Yeah." Kiba said, "How do we know she's not armed?"

"Wanna search me?" Chie asked, speaking up for the first time. With a smirk on her face, she held out her arms, as if offering to allow Kiba to frisk her.

"Wh-uh-um…" Kiba suddenly stammered, caught off guard by the question and gesture.

"Perhaps," Shino interjected, "If Hinata uses her _Byakugan_, she can ascertain what you do or don't have."

"Fine by me." Chie said, though her voice wavered the tiniest bit. Hinata knew she was nervous about seeing the _Byakugan_ again. However, it was unavoidable.

"Very well." Hinata said, more angrily than she'd intended. She understood their reasoning, but it hurt that her friends weren't trusting Chie not to do anything wrong.

"Hanabi, if you'll join me." Hinata said, "If we both search her and find nothing, neither Shino-kun nor Kiba-kun should be able to complain."

Hanabi, who had remained unusually silent throughout this confrontation, nodded. The sisters each activated their _Kekkei Genkai_ and examined any and all potential hiding places within Chie's clothing.

"Besides a change purse, all Chie-san has in her possession are a canteen and her _Hitai-ate_." Hinata reported.

"What she said." Hanabi confirmed.

The boys seemed satisfied, however they still eyed Chie warily. They made their way toward the festival at last, Shino and Kiba made sure Chie took point. Hinata and Hanabi stayed beside her.

"Your teammates are dorks, Nee-san." Hanabi whispered.

"Don't be too hard on them." Chie said.

"B-But they-."

"Acted no differently than just about every other person who's met me in this village." Chie told her, "I'm a foreigner, a potential enemy. Of course they're going to be suspicious. If anything, you're in the wrong for being so trusting of me."

Hanabi didn't respond. Hinata knew that Hanabi, as well as Hinata herself, didn't see Chie as a bad person.

"Still, suspicious or not, they had no reason to be so hostile." Hinata said.

"Maybe." Chie replied. Hinata was surprised to see Chie taking this so calmly. Hinata decided to follow her example and let the matter drop for now. Hanabi, however, didn't seem so forgiving. Hinata decided a change in subject was in order.

"Chie-san, why do you have your _Hitai-ate_ with you?" Hinata asked, referring to the headband she and Hanabi had seen wrapped around her left arm, "I believe you were under instructions _not_ to carry it around."

"Yeah, and at first I did. But I've carried it for so long I just feel kinda naked without it." Chie explained. Hinata could understand, it was a badge of honor all ninja carried at all times. To be without it simply felt wrong. Hinata couldn't help but run her fingers over the headband she kept tied around her neck at all times.

"Of course," Chie explained, "that feels rather pointless, now that I realize I'm spending my evening with people who could look through my clothing at will…"

Hanabi laughed at the remark and Hinata could swear she heard a snicker from behind her, though when she looked back Kiba was as stone-faced as Shino.

The next few hours passed without major incident. As soon as they reached the fairgrounds, Hanabi made good on her word and ran off on her own. Hinata saw her protector Kiriko right behind, inconspicuously following. Hinata's group took part in the festivities, first heading right for the games.

Hinata wasn't sure whether to gauge Kiba's hostility towards Chie greater or less than it had been initially. With the two boys now knowing Chie's identity, she had no reason to hold back when they played festival games, so the two had wound up developing something of a rivalry. The two would play each game several times over, both often declaring "best two out of three" then "three out of five" and so on when things didn't go their way, until Hinata and Shino pulled them away towards something else. The pattern would then start anew. Chie and Kiba traded jibes and insults during these games, but while they were sometimes fairly heated as the competition grew, Hinata recognized them as the kinds of taunts Kiba used against peple he knew would retaliate. She was actually reminded of the conversations between Kiba and Naruto.

Eventually, Chie sealed their friendship/rivalry, by christening Kiba with the nickname "Fang," in honor of his sharp teeth and affinity for canines. Kiba seemed a bit surprised at first, then smiled.

"Heh. Okay, fine. Now come up for one for Shino."

Shino, who stood by much of this time, suddenly became the center of unwanted attention. His sudden discomfort only egged the two new comrades on.

"Okay," Chie said, going deep into thought, "Shades? No… Hmm…"

"He has a thing for bugs." Kiba told her, getting into it.

"Really?"

"Oh yeah. They actually live inside his body!"

"Woah… So he's like a walking bee… ha! Hive!"

"Perfect!" Kiba declared.

The pair then walked to the next booth, Kiba beckoning "Hive" to join them.

"Um… s-sorry Shino-kun." Hinata said as they followed, "She does that with everyone."

"I see." Shino said, then, "Everyone, huh?"

"Yes. She calls Hanabi 'Firecracker.'"

"And you?"

"Phantom." Hinata admitted with a blush. Shino didn't make fun. He wasn't the type. But Hinata knew him well enough to know he found "Phantom" quite humorous. He also knew Hinata well enough to know she felt the same about "Hive."

After a round of goldfish scooping (won by Chie), everyone agreed it was a good time to break for food. One concession stand later, everyone was eating various treats one found at festivals. All except Kiba, who was working to make Madoshi understand they could only take what they paid for.

"That's for other people!" Kiba said, with a confirming yip by Akamaru. He was trying to bodily pull the feral boy away from the stand. Madoshi whined, fortunately Akamaru's barking proved more convincing than Kiba's words. Madoshi went limp and reluctantly let Kiba lead him away.

Hinata noticed Chie, had her hand over her mouth, trying hard not to break out into laughter. Or rather, it looked like Chie was trying hard not to break out into laughter. Chie's other hand went to her stomach, and Hinata noticed a growing distress in her eyes. Shino, also noticing, pointed Chile to the nearest bathroom, which she immediately ran for. Hinata and the others gathered outside the door and waited for her trouble to abate.

"What's going on?" said Kiba, last to arrive with Madoshi in tow.

"Tsurukawa's food did not agree with her." Shino replied, emphasized by the less than pleasant sound of Chie vomiting.

"Ew…" Kiba muttered in response, then "Oh no!" when Kiba looked to his side and realized the feral boy had disappeared yet again. Hinata knew better than to mention the practicality of a leash to prevent the dog-boy's wanderings. She'd seen more than one bystander receive the Inuzuka's wrath after they made such suggestions regarding Akamaru.

"Come on, Hinata!" Kiba exclaimed as he grabbed Hinata's arm and pulled at her.

"But Kiba-ku-"

"Your _Byakugan'll_ things up!" Kiba told her, "It'll take forever to find him otherwise."

Before given the chance to refute or refuse Kiba she was dragged off, leaving only Shino with the sick Chie. As he watched them leave, Shino backed to the door to Chie's bathroom, determined to remain on guard.

_Hinata may believe her trustworthy. She may even be nothing more than what she appears. But that is no reason to not be care-_

Shino was suddenly jolted from his thoughts by a sharp pain in the back of his neck. He fell to his knees, then fell face-down in the dirt, unconscious.

----------

According to the _Byakugan_, Madoshi was back at the food stalls sniffing around for treats. Akamaru had hurried after him, but hadn't had the chance to warn Kiba.

Hinata and Kiba were now running side-by-side, rather than her being pulled by him. Hinata was resolved to find the feral child quickly and return to her rightful charge. Hinata wondered if they should try to stay out of sight so he would not run away upon spotting them.

"Don't bother," Kiba said, "His vision's not the best. Plus he'd detect us by scent or sound long before he saw us. That's why it's so hard to catch him when he runs off, he uses scent as much as a real dog or an Inuzuka."

Hinata understood. Madoshi would likely catch wind of them and bolt, so it would then fall to Hinata to use her _Byakugan_ to keep track of where he goes. Fortunately, her eyesight with Kiba's tracking would make this an easy venture.

As expected, the boy detected the pair's scent and ran off. Behind him, Akamaru was chasing after and barking away. Following the sound and Hinata's directions following the boy was easy. Actually catching him was proving difficult. The two kept to rooftops, hoping to more easily reach Madoshi, who kept to the streets and alleys. Whenever they got particularly close, they would hear sounds of yipping from Madoshi, making Hinata believe the wild boy was enjoying himself, thinking of this chase as a big game.

_But this is not a game._ Hinata thought in frustration, _I have to help Kiba-kun find him so I can go back to Chi-_

Hinata suddenly stopped leaping the roofs, her _Byakugan's_ range of vision was showing her far more than the playful Madoshi, and what she was seeing now was distressing her greatly. Kiba, two buildings away, had just noticed his partner's stop and raced back.

"Hinata! What're- What's wrong!" Kiba asked, changing mid-sentence what he was about to say as he noticed the fear on Hinata's face.

"I-It can't be…" Hinata muttered, unmoving.

"What? What can't be?" but Hinata was in no frame of mind for explanations.

"Kiba-kun, I have to go! Get Madoshi then go back to the bathroom! Shino-kun's unconscious!"

"What! What about Tsuruka-wait!"

Hinata had already dashed off before Kiba could finish.

"And they say I'm impulsive!" Kiba muttered. Despite his words, though, he knew that Hinata was not the type to run off like she did. Something was happening, and with her _Byakugan_ she saw it. Kiba stood there for a moment, wondering and more than a little worried about what was happening. He was reminded of his current predicament by Akamaru's impatient barking. Remembering Hinata's parting instructions, he dashed off to get to get Madoshi, knowing now that the young dog boy might actually be in danger now.

----------

Elsewhere, the festival was in full swing, oblivious to any dangers around. In particular a group of children competing in the goldfish catching games. Three of them, two boys and a girl, were wearing goggles on their heads. The leader of which, named Konoaharu, played against a fourth, a girl named Hyuga Hanabi, to see who could capture the most before time ran out or their scoop broke. Neither child was overly interested in the goldfish or the prizes in the game. They were instead playing for a different prize altogether. The pair had made a wager, the boy betting his pair of goggles, while the girl was putting up the prizes she'd already won to date (which were quite enough to easily split between the three friends).

Finally, Hanabi emerged victorious, when Konohamaru's paper scoop tore under the weight of a particularly big fish. He reluctantly handed over his goggles to a smug Hanabi, who immediately put them around her neck. Her three playmates looked at her oddly.

"Thery're supposed to go on your head." said the girl, Moegi, gesturing to her own goggles, "Like this!"

"This is how my nee-san wears her _Hitai-ate_." Hanabi replied, "So that's why I'm doing it this way." she finished by sticking her tongue out. However none were offended and against the four began discussing what game to try next.

The happy mood was shattered when a figure appeared. Hanabi didn't notice the person, instead feeling an odd weight on the top of her head. Konohamaru and his friends, on the other hand, looked up in shock at the sight of a girl older than them standing one-legged on top of their new friend. With her other leg, the girl unleashed a sweeping kick with such force the shockwave alone sent the children onto their backs.

Hanabi, who had realized something was wrong when the children looked horrified and then fell over, was pushed forward herself, when the girl standing on her jumped. Hanabi fell into the dirt face first, she tried to get to her feet and move but no sooner had she gotten herself pushed up on her hands than she was suddenly forced down again, this time with an unbearable weight on her back. The girl had leapt off of Hanabi's head, flipped and come down onto the child's back with her left hand. Hanabi, through the pain of the blow, felt the back of her kimono tighten when the girl grabbed the child's clothing with that same left hand. With a push, the girl flipped herself upright, taking Hanabi with her and stowing the child under her arm. The capture complete, she ran into the nearest thicket of bushes and trees he could and disappeared.

It had taken less than five seconds for all of this to occur, in that time, the witnesses could do nothing but watch the girl kidnap the second child of the Hyuga. Hanabi herself, filled with shock and pain from the sudden attack, didn't realize just who had taken her until she had looked up and saw the face of her abductor.

_Chi-nee!_


	9. One Truth

**AUTHOR'S NOTES: **I know, I know... I've taken forever on updating. Well, I have good news. I've not only been writing the story again, but I'm ahead several chapters (six in all, meaning I'm up to chapter fifteen). I wanted to wait before posting more, as my sporadic update schedule made me feel as though I was yanking everybody's chains. I wanted to limit that by, if not flat-out completing the story, then at least being far enough ahead that there'd be plenty to enjoy by the time I ran out of new chapters. The bad news, though, is that I will still be doing a _bit_ of chain-yanking. In the (I freely admit) selfish desire to keep the story high up on the _Naurto _section list as long as possible, I'll probably post one or two chapters each day until I'm out of new material. But rest assured even if I do not have chapter sixteen complete by the time chapter fifteen comes, I _am _working on the story. I fully intned to finish it before I resume my original story currently in progress.

* * *

**_NARUTO_  
DIPLOMACY  
CHAPTER NINE**  
BY  
Sgamer82

Hinata leapt through the rooftops, paying no heed to those who saw her fly by them. Her eyes were focused on only what her _Byakugan_ showed her happening, not far from her current position.

_It can't be!_ she told herself, _Chie-san wouldn't do this! I can't be seeing this right!_

Though she had been focused on Madoshi and Kiba, Hinata had happened to catch sight of Hanabi through her _Byakugan_. She had also witnessed her apparent kidnapping by none other than Chie. All other thought left her as she immediately made way toward her sister and friend. It wasn't long before the two were spotted. Chie was leaping rooftops just like Hinata, Hanabi was tucked under her arm, struggling to break free. There were no pursuers yet, the incident was so sudden and happened so fast that nobody had yet managed to react in any organized fashion. That meant Hinata alone would face her former friend.

"Chie-san!" She called out. She knew she should have been more stealthy, try to catch her friendly enemy by surprise, but she couldn't help it. Chie ignored Hinata and proceeded as if she hadn't heard. She didn't respond to Hinata's presence until the Genin was right behind her. Chie stopped jumping, and turned to face Hinata. Both were on adjacent buildings, separated only by the alley between them.

"Nee-san!" Hanabi yelled from under Chie's arm.

"Chie-san! How could you!" Hinata demanded. Chie didn't speak. Instead, she loosened her grip on Hanabi. Hinata thought maybe Chie was letting her go. But as Hanabi began to fall Chie suddenly grabbed the girl by the scruff of the neck of her kimono and with all her strength hurled the girl straight up into the air.

"Hanabi!" Hinata screamed, her attention entirely on her airborne sibling.

That lapse in focus cost her. Before Hinata could react Chie had jumped the alley, closed the gap between them, and aimed a spin kick right toward Hinata's stomach. Hinata barely dodged it by stepping backward, which only left her open for Chie's follow-up. Chie dove down from her spin, catching herself on her hands, and sending a second kick straight up into Hinata's face. The blow knocked Hinata onto her back. Before Hinata could right herself, she planted a foot onto Hinata's stomach.

"You white-eyed bastards took from me the one I cherished most!" she said, "But tonight, with your sister, I'll be able to avenge him!"

With that, kicking off with the foot in Hinata's belly, Chie leapt back to the roof she had leapt on. She held out her left arm, which Hanabi promptly fell into. The younger Hyuga sister once again in her grasp, the kidnapper ran off into the night, leaving the elder sister gasping for air. Hinata tried to get up, only to stumble and nearly fall off the rooftop she was standing on. Fortunately, a pair of large hands appeared and steadied her.

"Hinata-kun." said a deep voice.

"S-Saruwatari-san?" Hinata answered weakly.

She looked up to see the hands indeed belonged to Saruwatari Makoto, her superior officer.

"Hanabi…"

"I know, Hinata-kun." he said. His wrinkled face looked grim, "I saw the whole thing from the street. We must go immediately."

"Yes, we have to-" Hinata began, but stopped when she realized Saruwatari's hands were guiding her in the opposite direction Chie had come from.

"Sir!" Hinata cried out, suddenly alarmed, "It's the other way!"

"No, Hinata-kun." Saruwatari told her, "There is a separate crisis we must resolve first."

"But-" Hinata had begun to struggle against her superior's grip, to get away and chase her sister.

"Hanabi-chan's situation can wait. I don't believe her kidnapper will harm her, not without her accomplice present as well."

_Acoomplice!_ Hinata thought in shock, but Saruwatari went on before she could ask.

"If we can get the accomplice I'm sure is waiting for us, then we will rescue her that much more quickly."

Hinata bit at her lower lip. She respected Saruwatari, he was wise and, in diplomatic training exercises, displayed abilities for observation and reading body language beyond even most Hyuga. Even so, Hinata couldn't avoid mutinous thoughts revolving around calling him a foolish old man who didn't understand what she felt.

"Chie-san definitely has an accomplice?" she asked, as logic and trust won out.

"Our kidnapper has an accomplice. I am positive of it." Saruwatari said.

Reluctantly, Hinata nodded, "Okay. Let's go."

Saruwatari let Hinata go, and began going by roofs (easily the quickest route) back to the point where Hanabi was kidnapped. Hinata followed, hoping against hope her mentor was right.

----------

Hinata and Saruwatari found where Hanabi was taken from easily enough. There was a large crowd gathered around the booth Hanabi and her friends had been playing at. Most notable among them, Hinata noticed to her dismay, was Hyuga Taiki, Hanabi's bodyguard. As Hinata and Saruwatari landed, Taiki stood at the place Hanabi had been taken from, staring thoughtfully at it. The look he gave Hinata upon seeing her said it all.

"Hinata-sama… you _dare_ show your face here!" he yelled. Some of the onlookers, knowing he was Branch Family to Hinata's Main, stared open-mouthed at the display of emotion.

"Calm yourself, Taiki-san." Saruwatari said.

"Calm! Main Family or no, because of _her_ negligence Hanabi-sama has been taken!"

"Yes…" Hinata admitted, "We-" Saruwatari put his hand before Hinata, cutting her off from saying they had seen Chie.

"Before we go after Hanabi-chan's abductor, there are some issues that need to be resolved first." Saruwatari said, his voice level. Ever the diplomat, Hinata couldn't help thinking.

"Issues?" Taiki declared, "What is there to resolve? Your foreign ninja kidnapped Hanabi-sama!"

Hinata noticed, not surprisingly, that whispers of "foreign?" began emanating from the assembled crowd. Everyone also seemed very surprised at Taiki's outbursts. Hinata wondered if he'd even said a single word until the two of them had arrived.

"Yes, Taiki-san. Bear with me and you may understand. Hinata-kun?"

"Yes?"

"Before Hanabi-chan's kidnapping, where did you last see Tsurukawa-kun?"

"She was in a bathroom east of here." Hinata answered pointing in the general direction of where she'd left Chie and Shino, "She appeared to have stomach problems. Last I saw she was in the bathroom vomiting."

"And why did you leave?"

"Um…" Hinata flushed, "One of my companions had gone missing… his guardian, Inuzuka Kiba-kun, asked me to aid in the search with my _Byakugan_. Another companion, Aburame Shino-kun, stayed behind with Chie-san."

Saurwatari nodded, "And what is happening there right now?"

_Shino-kun!_ Hinata realized with a sudden lurch in her stomach. She immediately activated her _Byakugan_ and focused as hard as she could on where she had left Shino and Chie last. Observers watched as the girl's expression grew confused.

"Hinata-kun?"

"C-Chie-san is there…" Hinata began, "She is trying to rouse Shino-kun, who is lying on the ground…"

"You are certain of this?" Saruwatari asked.

Hinata nodded, then gasped "Kiba-kun has just arrived with Madoshi-kun… it looks as though Chie-san attacked Shino. He is arresting her, grabbing her arms so she cannot escape… I don't understand! If Chie took Hanabi then why-"

"Wait and see, Hinata-kun." Saruwatari said, interrupting Hinata. The crowd looked more confused than Hinata herself save Taiki, who looked only angry.

"You." Saruwatari said to a man from a squad of ANBU who had arrived to investigate, "Go to the restrooms, please, and bring the four you find back here."

The man nodded and ran off to fetch the others. Within minutes they had arrived. Shino was awake and, along with Kiba, held Chie by her arms. Madoshi and Akamaru sat behind them, alert of the tension and paying close attention to everything before them. Chie wasn't resisting, nor did she look worried. If anything, Hinata thought, she looked annoyed.

"Phantom," she said upon arrival, "I don't think your friends like me much."

"Chie-san…" was all Hinata could utter.

"Release her." Saruwatari said to Shino and Kiba, "It is all right." he added when they were reluctant to obey.

"Thanks, Peacemaker. 'Preciate it." Chie said as she approached Saruwatari and Hinata.

"Do not thank me yet." Saruwatari said, "There are still some points to resolve. Depending on how that goes you may yet again wind up in custody."

"Huh? What do you me- Phantom what's wrong?" Chie asked, noticing Hinata's troubled look.

"Hanabi's been kidnapped." Hinata said, "And it looks like you did it!"

"What!" Chie exclaimed, "I didn't! I've been puking this whole time!"

"A likely story!" Taiki responded, "No doubt you faked illness! After removing those watching you, completed your task and went back to finish the job!"

The voices of the crowd began to get more hostile, as they began to agree with Taiki's assessment of events.

"That may be." Saruwatari said, "But then, there are some problems with that theory."

"Trying to evade responsibility, old man?" Taiki sneered. The crowd began muttering to another. Hinata picked out words such as "smooth talker" and "excuses" among the chatter.

"Not at all. I am merely interested in making sure responsibility falls upon the correct shoulders. Let me first ask you the most obvious question that comes to mind. If Tsurukawa-kun is the culprit, as you say, why did she return to finish off Aburame-kun when she should have just continued going? Or, on that same vein, why not just kill Aburame-kun in the first place, so that a return wouldn't be necessary?"

Taiki just smiled.

"It is difficult to quickly kill a man unarmed without resorting to jutsu, which any decent Shinobi would detect immediately. I met with my wife, Kiriko, minutes before the kidnapping, and she informed me that both Hinata-sama and Hanabi-sama searched her for weapons and found nothing."

"I see." Saruwatari replied, "So then, if she intended to finish off witnesses, she should have weapons on her now, correct?"

It was a moment before Taiki nodded to this logic. Hinata suddenly had a very bad feeling where this was all headed.

"Excuse me, you there." Saruwatari called out, indicating an ANBU woman among the onlookers. "Could you do me a favor and search this girl for weapons."

The ANBU approached and did as asked. Chie held out her arms as the woman frisked her, just as she had jokingly offered to allow Kiba to. Once finished, the woman came up empty save for Chie's Hitai-ate and canteen. The scene's audience began to chatter more with the confirmation that Chie was indeed a foreign ninja.

"Interesting." Saruwatari commented, "It seems to me that, if you're right and she wished to eliminate witnesses, then she would have brought a weapon for the task, no? Especially since it is, as you yourself said, Taiki-san, difficult to kill unarmed. And yet, she is here, unarmed despite being caught red-handed. Odd, no?"

Taiki didn't respond, nor did anybody gathered say anything.

"So she didn't do anything?" Kiba asked Shino.

"It seems not." Shino replied, "However there is as much evidence for as against."

"Yes!" Taiki exclaimed, "For all your words, sir, you seem to neglect the fact that the girl herself was seen in the act."

"Easily explained through use of the _Henge no Jutsu_." Saruwatari replied with a shrug, "But if you need solid evidence, I can provide. Aburame-kun?"

"Yes." Shino responded.

"Hinata-kun has told me of your ability to communicate with insects. This is so?"

Shino nodded.

"In the event you are incapacitated, would they be as well?"

Shino shook his head, "They are independent of me in that regard."

"Well, then, can your insects confirm or deny Tsurukawa-kun's whereabouts at the time of this attack, even though you yourself were unconscious?"

The muttering among those at the scene began in earnest once more. Shino was quiet, as some of his insects exited his body and Shino asked Saruwatari's question. Shino viewed their movements for a moment before speaking. Taiki shifted slightly, Hinata saw him fold his hands under the long sleeves of his robe. Hinata noticed Chie watching him intently, too.

"Well?" Kiba asked, getting impatient. Their audience was completely silent now, waiting for the words they were sure would damn the foreigner.

"She never left." Shino said, "They are sure of it, as they heard the sound of and detected the scent of her being sick."

"Well, Taiki-san. What say you to that?" Saruwatari asked.

"Maybe she is innocent." Taiki ceded, "But that gets us no further in identifying the true culprit or rescuing Hanabi-sama!"

"Oh, I think it makes a great difference." Saruwatari said pleasantly, "You see, it is clear now that our kidnapper not only intended to abduct Hanabi-chan, but did so with the intent of setting someone else up for the crime. And judging from the attack itself, it's clear that the culprit knew that Tsurukawa-kun was a Shinobi from another village. This reduces our pool of suspects considerably."

Taiki didn't respond, but the onlookers began muttering anew. Ignoring them, Hinata listened as Saruwatari went on.

"This reduces our pool of suspects to a select few. Whoever kidnapped the child had to both know this fact and have a motive to harm her. Among the diplomats involved in this operation, all of whom were handpicked by me, the only two with ties to the Hyuga clan are myself, as an old teammate of Hyuga Hiashi. And his daughter, Hyuga Hinata-kun. But, neither of us have motivation to harm the child."

"But then…" Hinata began to ask.

"However," Saruwatari went on, "There are two other individuals who are possible suspects. And _all_ the evidence points right to them."

Saruwatari looked right at Taiki as he said this. Taiki responded by appearing to wring his hands in his sleeves.

"Taiki-san, I have but one question to ask you. Where is Kiriko-san?"

The crowd's glares and accusatory looks finally shifted from Chie, and now began to focus on the Branch Hyuga who had been spouting his own accusations. Taiki looked angry, the wringing of his hands increased in speed.

"Do not speak of Kiriko that way!" he yelled, sounding affronted that his wife would be suspected in any way, "She and I were together! As soon as Hanabi-sama was kidnapped, she went after the abductor! I stayed behind to alert others to the attack and get a message to the Main House!"

"Oh? Kiriko chased after the kidnapper?" Saruwatari asked, "Then why is it that neither Hinata-kun nor I encountered her?"

"W-what…?"

"I happened to see Hinata-kun briefly engage the abductor in combat. Her enemy got the drop on her and escaped, however. I went to her aid, and, suspecting something was wrong with the picture, headed _straight_ here."

The implication was clear. They had come right from the attack, in the direction the attacker was coming from. If Kiriko had been chasing Chie, they would have encountered her midway, or seen her injured or hurt otherwise.

"Odd, isn't it?" Saruwatari posed, "There are only three explanations for it that I can see. Either Kiriko-san took a different route, unlikely as logic would dictate staying right behind the kidnapper. She deserted her duty, doubtful considering she earned the position she was in through loyalty and bravery. Or, and this is what I think most likely, she was the abductor!"

"How dare you!" Taiki screamed.

"Quite easily, Taiki-san." Saruwatari said, a satisfied look on his face, "The evidence points only in that direction. I believe that Kiriko-san disguised herself as Tsurukawa-kun and abducted the girl. While she did so, you, Taiki-san, would insure that Tsurukawa-kun had no immediate alibi for the attack. You likely posed as a vendor and poisoned some of her food to make her ill. Though only pure speculation, you likely lured the feral boy there away to ensure Inuzuka-kun would leave. You had the good fortune that Hinata-kun left as well. Leaving only Aburame-kun, whom you snuck up on and dispatched."

Taiki's face was red with rage. He hands in his robes were going much faster. Only then did Saruwatari, and those around, realize what Taiki had been doing the entire time. He hadn't been wringing his hands.

"_Ninpô: Hebi no Nirami_!" he screamed, his _Byakugan_ suddenly flaring to life.

For a moment in time, for those gathered around Hyuga Taiki, everything froze.


	10. Misty Leaf

**_NARUTO  
DIPLOMACY  
_CHAPTER TEN  
**BY  
Sgamer82

"However," Saruwatari Makoto said, "There are two other individuals who are possible suspects. And all the evidence points right to them."

_I can't believe it…_ Hinata thought, as Saruwatari's deductions began to fall into place for her, _Taiki-nii-san… Kiriko-nee-san…_ The two were Hanabi's chosen protectors. Of all the people in the world, they would be the last anybody would expect to commit a crime.

"Phantom." Chie whispered, Hinata didn't respond, "Phantom!"

"Eh?" Hinata blinked.

"Phantom, what's he doing?" Chie asked in a low voice, motioning her chin towards Taiki. Chie moved in front of Hinata. Hinata caught the hint. She activated her _Byakugan_ and looked at Taiki. She gasped.

"He's weaving jutsu signs, isn't he?" Chie asked, paying no attention to Saruwatari tell of Hinata's encounter with the kidnapper.

"Yes…" Hinata said, unable to believe it. She no sooner opened her mouth to warn everyone when Chie reached back and grabbed Hinata's hand.

"Is there anything peculiar or specific about the pattern?"

"Yes. Every other sign is the Snake." Hinata said, and through her _Byakugan_ she saw Chie's eyes narrow.

"Say nothing." Chie ordered.

"But…" Hinata said, thinking of warning those around her.

"Trust me." Chie said.

Hinata found that much harder to do than it would have been barely twenty minutes ago. While she heard Saruwatari proving Chie's innocence in the crime, it was still hard for her to ignore what she had seen earlier. Hard to accept that the person she had faced wasn't Tsurukawa Chie, but Hyuga Kiriko. Hinata recognized part of her that wanted to keep blaming Chie, so she didn't have to accept her own family was turning on her and her sister. However, what she wanted did nothing to change the truth. Chie had done nothing, she was the same person she had always been.

"I trust you." Hinata said.

"Okay." Chie said, Hinata thought she might have heard a sigh of relief, "Your eyes can see my Chakra, right?"

"As it traverses your body, yes."

"Then watch, and mimic very closely what I do next."

Hinata watched Chie's body and Chakra lines closely. As she did, she noticed an unusual amount tracing up towards her eyes. Specifically around the wholes of her eyeballs, acting as a barrier. Hinata considered how best to accomplish this, then successfully formed her own chakra eye shield, a tingling in her eyes, not unlike her first ever uses of the _Byakugan_, accompanied the act.

"Okay."

"Good," Chie said, "Now, when it comes, if you can still move, don't."

"But everyon-"

"No worries." Chie whispered, "If he plans to hurt anyone, it won't be until after he's performed this jutsu. Making it imperative that at least one person block it."

Hinata kept her chakra around her eyes as much as she could, as she listened to Saruwatari explain how Chie had been poisoned and isolated to help remove a potential alibi. Finally, Hinata saw through the _Byakugan_ as Taiki's chakra began flowing into his eyes, and his hands stopped on the sign of the Snake.

"_Ninpô: Hebi no Nirami!_" Taiki screamed, his _Byakugan_ suddenly flaring to life.

It was at that moment Hinata felt it. An assault on her eyes, as though something were attempting to stab right through them. The Chakra guard Chie helped her create prevented anything more than a feeling of betrayal and surprise from hitting Hinata.

His jutsu complete, Taiki's eyes returned to their normal, veinless form. Hinata moved her fingers experimentally. After knowing she could move, she yielded to Chie's advice and didn't. She couldn't resist looking around, however. She noticed that every single individual gathered at that part of the fairground had completely frozen in place. Nobody moved, nobody spoke, for a moment Hinata feared that nobody breathed.

Taiki surveyed his victims carefully, Hinata made sure to not move even her eyes anymore. When he seemed apparently satisfied he had gotten everybody, he leapt out of sight, escaping in the same direction Saruwatari and Hinata had come from. The same direction in which Kiriko had taken Hanabi.

When he was gone, Hinata let out an involuntary sigh of relief. Chie seemed to have done so as well. Hinata didn't doubt Chie had been as anxious as Hinata herself.

"W-What was that?" Hinata asked quickly, "Is everybody all right?"

"_Hebi no Nirami_." said Chie turning to face Hinata, "The Serpent's Glare. It's a _Dôjutsu_ I learned about in my studies. It sends Chakra from the user's eyes to a victim's nervous system, temporarily paralyzing it. It shuts down all but the most automatic of functions. Everyone here can breathe, can see, can hear, but the _Hebi no Nirami_f hinders their ability to act."

"I never knew there was a jutsu capable of this." Hinata admitted, looking at the human statues.

"It's your _Byakugan_ that makes _this_ possible." Chie explained, "Normally, the jutsu is a one-target move. That is because it requires eye contact to be effective. This and a long sign sequence generally make the technique impractical in real combat. However, with your _Kekkei Genkai's_ range of vision, and ability to see just where in the body Chakra can go, eye contact, at least, becomes a simple matter, making the jutsu far more effective than normal."

"How long will it last?" Hinata asked.

"Not sure, but probably a while. Seeing as he used it to make his escape. I was concerned he'd go after you or Peacemaker." Chie said, pointing to Hinata, then Saruwatari. Hinata understood, had they spoken up and warned those around them, Taiki might have panicked and attacked at random. Blocking the jutsu as they did, however, allowed Hinata and Chie a chance to defend themselves or whoever Taiki's target was.

Now, however, Hinata's only goal was to rescue her sister from her abductors, her cousins. She knew what she needed to do first. She approached one of the ANBU and went through her pouches. She soon found what she needed, a blank scroll.

"I am sorry." Hinata told the masked woman, "I need to take this. I promise to replace it."

As Chie watched, Hinata opened the scroll on the ground, and bit her finger. Using the blood from the wound, she began writing on the scroll.

"Kuchiyose?" Chie asked, wondering if Hinata had any summoning talent.

"No, code." Hinata replied. When finished, Chie saw hastily drawn red kanji on the scroll, with even more hastily written words underneath it.

"Hanabishi?" she asked, recognizing the two kanji for the word.

"Yes," Hinata said as she rolled up the scroll, "It is a code developed by my clan to give a fast and simple warning as possible in the event something happens to a child of the family. Each child has a specific codeword, and writing in blood means that the situation is urgent. The words underneath are just as quick an explanation as I can manage right now."

Hinata tied the scroll and handed it to Chie.

"You remember how to get to my home?" Hinata said as she began going through the female ANBU's possessions again, this time taking a shuriken pouch and kunai. Again she apologized for taking the weapons.

"What?" Chie asked, "You want me to… but what'll you do?"

"I'm going after Taiki-nii-san. I can track him with the _Byakugan_. I am going to try to get him and Kiriko-nee-san to call off whatever they're planning."

"Do you think you can?"

"…No… I think I'll have to fight them." Hinata said, knowing what was to come and absolutely dreading having to do it.

"Two against one! Are you insane! I'm going with you!"

"NO!" Hinata shouted, "I need you to get that message to my clan! Once they're alerted they can rescue Hanabi! I just need to stall them until help can arrive!"

"That's suicide!" Chie told her.

"So is going after them with just two people!" Hinata yelled back, "They're both experienced _Chûnin_ and a well-practiced team, you and I can't match them in that!"

The girls argument was suddenly interrupted by a loud whine. Both girls attention was suddenly on the boy behind Kiba, who was whimpering and looked frightened.

"Madoshi-kun!" Hinata exclaimed.

"How is he okay?" Chie asked. But Hinata understood.

"Kiba-kun said he has poor eyesight."

"Oh." Chie answered. The Serpent's Glare required direct eye contact to function properly. This meant the victim had to be able to receive the paralyzing Chakra just a well as the user sent it. An individual who was blind or near-blind would experience a diminished effect, if any, because their eyes, as well as the Chakra pathways around them, did not work well enough to receive the full blast of the attack.

"Wait! If he can move this is perfect!" Chie cried out, she looked at the flower in Hinata's hair, "Is that flower found anyplace else in the village!"

"Some shops sell them, but they're all grown on the Hyuga compound." Hinata answered.

"Perfect!" Chie said again, plucking the white flower from Hinata's head. She took the scroll Hinata had handed her and used a string from one of the nearby ninja to secure it around Madoshi's neck.

"He understands human speech?"

"Mostly. Chie-san. What ar-"

"Okay, now, Pup, listen good." Chie said, as loud and clearly as she could, looking into the feral boy's barely-seeing blue-green eyes, "Smell this?" she held the flower to Madoshi's nose. True to instinct, he sniffed at it, and didn't seem to appreciate the strong scent much, "All right," Chie continued, "I need you to take this," she held up the scroll, then pointed in the general direction of the Hyuga estate "That way, to where that scent is the strongest! Understand?"

Madoshi looked at Chie for a moment, leaving Chie to wonder if he'd understood properly. Then he began sniffing at the air some more, and soon bolted in the direction Chie had indicated.

"Is that wise, Chie-san?" Hinata asked, feeling a bit of anger that Chie was disregarding her wishes so much.

"Maybe not," Chie admitted, "But I think we'll be okay. At that pace he shouldn't take much longer than I would have, anyway. And I'm sure he knows this is serious, so he won't screw around on us. The important thing is, now you're not going in alone."

"Chie-san, don't you understand!" Hinata asked, "I can't let you go!"

"Why the hell not!"

"You're a guest of this village! One of the rules you have is that you can not strike one of our people! Lay hands on one and you're immediately expelled!"

"This is more important that that!" Chie exclaimed.

"Yes it is! But I can't just ignore it! You're here for a reason and I can't let you throw that away!"

"Phantom…" Chie said, genuinely touched.

She then hit Hinata across the face with an open handed slap.

"There." she said as Hinata held her cheek in shock, "Now it's not an issue!"

"Chie-san… why?"

"You saw how your friends treated me tonight?" she asked, gesturing to Kiba and Shino, "That's been the general response from everybody who knew who I was. You and Firecracker, on the other hand, you just treated me like anybody else. I wasn't anything dangerous to you. Just someone you were spending time with. Even now you're watching out for me, when you've got bigger problems!"

Chie suddenly reached out and grabbed Hinata's _Hitai-ate_ off her neck, and took her own back from the person who had held it.

"But the fact is, I am a ninja of the Mist," she held up her headband, then Hinata's, "and you are a ninja of the Leaf. Even if I weren't leaving now, I would go. I would go, and we might never see each other again. And, if we do, there's a good chance that you and I will do so as enemies!

"That in mind," she said, tying her headband around her forehead, "I want to help you and Firecracker."

Hinata watched as, rather than give it back, Chie began tying the Leaf headband around her neck, just as Hinata preferred.

"I want to help my friends, while I can still call you that! I won't let you face impossible odds alone! I am a ninja of the Mist, but tonight I will fight alongside you, a ninja of the Leaf. Whatever it takes I will help you get your sister back! I swear it, Hinata!"

Hinata understood. She couldn't dissuade Chie, and would no longer try. Hinata understood that by using her real name instead of the "Phantom" nickname, and by putting on Hinata's _Hitai-ate_, Chie was making this point as clear as possible.

"All right." Hinata said, as Chie rummaged through another nearby ANBU's belongings for her own equipment, "Let's go!" Hinata brought her hands up to chest level and made the proper signs.

"_Byakugan!_" she cried, and her _Kekkei Genkai_ flared to life once more. She expanded her range of vision as far as she could manage. She saw within the village, people enjoying the festival, unaware of the minutes-old crisis now occurring. In the woods, she saw Taiki, running through the woods alone, making his way towards the old playground Hinata had once shown Chie. There she saw Kiriko, no longer disguised as Chie, waiting for her husband's arrival. Hanabi was close as well, bound tightly on the ground next to-

"No!" Hinata suddenly screamed.

"What!" Chie asked, as she attached a shuriken pouch to her ankle (instead of her thigh).

"We have no time to lose! We have to get there before it's too late!" Hinata yelled, "Follow closely behind me, Chie-san. I can get us through the forest to where they are quickly, but I can't slow down!"

"So no lagging behind, got it." Chie replied. Before she could say more though, Hinata had already begun to move. Chie hurried to catch up and stay with her.

----------

Hyuga Taiki traversed the forest. Not as quick as he could, for he had to avoid traps he knew Kiriko had laid on the route (simple, as he knew her style as well as he did his own). He knew Kiriko would be anxious, desperate to finally begin their revenge.

_We've waited nearly ten years for this chance! Fear not, my love, it shall not go to waste!_

_

* * *

_**AUTHORS NOTES - ORIGINAL CHARACTERS:**_  
_I used a lot of original characters in this story (all but two my own creations) instead of relying on already-established characters. There is one main reason for this. This is Hinata's story. I worried using current characters would cause attention to slip from Hinata to others (such as Naruto, etc.) who would ultimately play a minimal role in the plot. It was my hope using originals would allow Hinata to remain the focus, as she's the only main character to play a large role in events.

**CHARACTER NOTES: SARUWATARI MAKOTO**  
Hinata's superior within the Diplomatic Corp. of Konoha. He was created for pretty much that purpose and that purpose only: to give Hinata a superior to report to. His name, as well as Kiriko and Taiki's, were derived with one of those "What's your Japanese name?" programs. Though I've long forgotten what I put in to get the results I did.

Wanting a bigger role for him, I made him the one who unraveled Taiki and Kiriko's deception. The intent behind him is he is a skilled diplomat, who can read people better than some Hyuga. Intelligent enough to correctly deduce the truth from very little information. One quirk for him I never got to use in-story is the fact he is remarkably good at holding his liquor. Useful, as many a treaty and bargains are made over drinks.

**RE: DragonMan180's Question**  
The _Hebi no Nirami_, in its normal form, requires staright eye contact. Specifially, the user must be able to see the victim's eyes. In this instance, Shino's glasses _would _provide a barrier. However, the variation created by Taiki, which combines the jutsu with the _Byakugan_'s vision range, can affect anything so long as a person's eyes are visible to the _Byakugan_. In this case, Shino's glasses aren't a hindrance and, therefore, do little to block the jutsu. Only (near) blindness or some othe rmethod of blocking the chakra sent by the user (such as Chie & Hinata's shield move) can prevent the jutsu's affects in this case.

Of course, this is all really just something I just came up with. :) Truthfully, Shino's glasses as a barrier didn't really occur to me at all until DragonMan mentioned it. Same with the insects, though I think if Shino's paralyzed, they won't act either (even if they did, it's hard to say how useful they'd be to someone besides Shino himself).


	11. Shunichi

**_NARUTO  
DIPLOMACY_  
CHAPTER ELEVEN**  
BY  
Sgamer82

"_Mama! Mama!"_

Kiriko winced as the voice sounded in her mind. Bringing with it both comfort and sorrow. Reminders of its owner were all around her, in the children's playground she and her husband had chosen for the final stage of their plan.

_Soon… very soon…_

Kiriko and Taiki had waited ten years for this moment. Their opportunity for revenge against those who had wronged them. The ones responsible for taking the one person more important to her than Taiki, than her own life.

_Shun… my little boy… we'll have our revenge soon._

As though on its own, Kiriko's hand whipped out, sending a kunai toward the source of movement she had detected behind her. Turning around, Kiriko saw where Hyuga Hanabi sat, bound tightly. Her gaze was focused on the blade that had flown past her face, missing it by millimeters. Kiriko saw the small bulges of blood vessels protruding around the child's forehead and eyes.

"I recommend you keep your _Byakugan_ to yourself, Hanabi-_sama_." Kiriko said, stressing the "-sama" with as much venom as she could manage, "The _Byakugan _disgusts me. Attempt to use those eyes again, and I will gouge them out, are we clear?"

Hanabi submitted with a gulp and a stiff nod. Kiriko had to give the little girl credit. She was almost certainly terrified, but did an admirable job of choking it back and staying calm.

"Why?" Hanabi asked hesitantly, "Why are you doing this, Kiriko-nee-chan?"

"Very well," Kiriko said with a grim smile, "While we wait for Taiki to arrive, I'll tell you what this is all about.

----------

"_Hinata-Onee-Sama!"_

"It all started about ten years ago." Hinata began, "I was only about five years old at the time, so most of what I know is second-hand."

"But you're sure?" Chie asked as they leapt through the tree tops. Chie tried not to let conversation distract her conversation too much. Hinata was moving through the forest at a breakneck pace, and it was all she could do to keep up. Chie wondered how Hinata could speak and maintain the concentration for the speed and accuracy her leaps. Some of which were extraordinary, in Chie's mind, and spoke volumes of the girl's familiarity with forests in general and this one in particular.

"Yes, if they are the abductors, there can be no other motive!"

Chie didn't answer. She needed her focus to keep up with her partner, and besides there was no reason to. Instead, she kept quiet and allowed Hinata to continue.

"I remember him, too. Kiriko-nee-san and Taiki-nii-san would bring him to the same playground I used to go to. We were playmates, despite having different ranks within the clan.

"His name was Shunichi, he was just a year younger than I was."

"So he died?" Chie asked between leaps, "And these guys think your family was responsible?"

"No, not think… we _were _responsible." Hinata said, "Your country rejects those with _Kekkei Genkai_, so you likely don't know just how far clans possessing them might go to preserve them. The Hyuga clan divided itself, creating two groups within it. The first is the Main family, of which I am heir. Then there is the subordinate Branch family which Taiki-nii-san… and Shunichi-kun, were born into.

"When a child of the Branch becomes old enough to begin training, he is marked by the Main Family. This mark is a _Juin_, a cursed mark which is branded into the person's head, and fades only upon death."

Hinata noticed Chie didn't even gasp in shock.

"I'm no stranger to extreme methods." Chie managed to get out, "My village used to have a particularly barbaric ceremony for becoming a Genin… it was forbidden before I began training, so I never took part in it myself."

Hinata had heard of that, but continued her own tale instead of commenting.

----------

"Shun was a sickly child." Kiriko told Hanabi, "He was ill as often than he was well. We had held off his marking with the _Juin_ for as long as possible, fearing the consequences."

All of a sudden Kiriko kneeled down in front of Hanabi, and began pushing her thumb into the girl's forehead.

"But would they listen! Did they even care! NO!" Hanabi began to whimper as Kiriko began pressing her thumb harder and harder against the child's head, "They took him away, screaming for his mama! They took him! And they branded him with that mark!"

She suddenly pushed forward hard enough that Hanabi was forced onto her back. Kiriko stood, and looked down at the girl.

"Our worst fears were realized." she said, as she suddenly planted a foot into Hanabi's stomach, "Shun's body was simply too weak. He couldn't handle the pain. It killed him!"

"Kiriko!"

The woman suddenly looked up, as if broken from a daze, to see her husband walking toward her.

"Taiki… I…"

"Our plan is no good if you over do it. Remember, our plan is not to kill her."

"I know…" Kiriko said meekly, lifting her foot off of Hanabi, who was gasping for the air Kiriko had stomped out of her.

"Did all go well?" Kiriko asked.

"Not as I would have liked. I had the crowd ready to lynch the Mist girl. When that damned diplomat figured out the truth and announced it to everyone!"

"But you escaped?"

"Yes…" he suddenly could not meet her eyes, "I am sorry, Kiriko, I broke our promise. I used the _Byakugan_ to hit everyone with the _Hebi no Nirami_."

"Will we have time?"

"Enough, I made sure everyone in the vicinity was hit. Anybody who comes later won't know what caused their paralysis until it wears off. By then, we will have finished."

"Then I forgive you." Kiriko said, "In fact, I'm almost happy. Using their own eyes to aid our goal… it's wonderful. Perhaps I should never have made you promise not to use it."

"Perhaps, but I would refrained anyway. I know how much you've despised my eyes…"

"Your eyes, I do hate them." she said, as she placed a kiss on Taiki's lips, "But I love you Taiki. If not for you, we wouldn't be here, ready to make them all suffer."

"Yes." Taiki responded, he eyed a black case that had been lying on the grass by Hanabi, "Let us get underway, then."

----------

"They aren't going to kill her!" Chie asked in surprise. She almost lost Hinata for a moment when the news made her attention lapse. Before answering, Hinata called for a stop by a large and thick set of bushes and shrubs. Hinata studied the area, pulling back the shrubs to show a large hole hidden under the foliage. She didn't answer Chie's question until she was sure of what she was looking for and the two had set off again towards their enemies.

"It doesn't make sense!" Chie said, "If they're after revenge, and are willing to go this far, why not just kill her outright?"

"Earlier this week, there was a theft." Hinata said, "My father asked me about it, but wouldn't tell me what was stolen. But rumors spread, and I learned what was taken. I wasn't worried until just now, when I saw what Kiriko and Taiki had with them."

"What did they take?"

----------

Taiki opened the case and extracted the object within. It was a small rod, less than a meter long and bearing an object on one side. Hanabi watched nervously, as Taiki performed a jutsu that created what would otherwise have been a simple campfire. But instead of a flickering orange, these flames were blinding white. He placed the heavy end of the rod into the fire for several seconds before removing it. When he held it up, Hanabi got her first clear look at the object, and screamed.

The object at the end of a rod was a symbol. With that symbol, everything became clear. Hanabi knew exactly what they intended, and whatever guards she had began breaking down. For a the end of the rod, the end of the brand, there was a manji, the symbol for the Branch Family, which the couple would soon burn into Hanabi's forehead.


	12. Double Take

**_NARUTO  
DIPLOMACY_  
CHAPTER TWELVE**  
BY  
Sgamer82

Hinata and Chie leapt through the forest. They had encountered very little in the way of traps Kiriko or Taiki may have set behind them. Chie attributed this more to Hinata's skill navigating the woods than any carelessness on their enemies' part. Chie had noticed it the first time, when they raced to the playground for fun, and again thought the white-eyed girl was almost a completely different person when they traveled the woods. Whatever shyness or lack of confidence she had normally was simply not present when she journeyed through the treetops.

Aside from their brief stop at the bushes she had inspected, Hinata only once called for a halt to quickly describe the plan she had devised. Chie had to admit, for something thrown together in only minutes, it was good. She worried about how to get close. Hinata was, too. She activated her own _Byakugan_ as they closed in on Hanabi's location.

"Odd…" Hinata said as they approached the point Hinata had chosen to stop before beginning their plan.

"What?"

"Their conversation…"

"You can hear them?" Chie asked.

"I can read lips." Hinata told her. Chie didn't respond. Made sense that someone with a vision-related _Kekkei Genkai_ would be trained in that skill.

"So what's odd about it?"

"Except for his jutsu earlier, it seems Taiki-nii-san hasn't used his _Byakugan_ since Shunichi-kun's death."

"Guess that explains how we managed to get here undetected…" Chie remarked, "Does this change the plan?"

"No." Hinata replied, "We best go as intended. If Taiki-nii-san's not using the _Byakugan_, it only makes things easier. If he chooses to do so as we act, then our current plan will suffice."

"Understood."

The two girls stared at one another for a moment before they went on. Hinata broke away first.

"Chie-san… I… I just want…"

"You don't need to say it." Chie told her with a smile, "You'd do the same for me. That's why I'm doing it for you."

With that Chie left, to hide for her part in their rescue attempt. Hinata hesitated a moment. She looked at where Chie had disappeared into the foliage.

_Perhaps she didn't need to hear it, but…_

"Chie. Thank you."

Hinata went the other way, and their mission commenced.

----------

Hanabi was frozen in fright. Too scared now to scream, resist, or move in any way. As soon as she saw the end of the brand, she knew exactly what her once-protectors intended for her. She could only watch, as the two performed the necessary rituals which would imbue the brand with the properties of the _Juin_. Rituals that would ensure that no jutsu, medical or otherwise, would remove the mark from her forehead until the day she died. Rituals which would enable those of the Main Family to kill her with a gesture, if they so desired. Which would forever relegate her to the lower class of her clan.

Her eyes couldn't break away from the white flame in which the brand warmed up. She noticed nothing, including a dull thud sound, and a sudden shout of alarm from Kiriko. It wasn't until she heard a voice that her attention shifted.

"Taiki-nii-san! Kiriko-nee-san! You must stop this!"

_Nee-san!_ Hanabi's horror immediately turned into relief, when she recognized the sound of her sister's voice.

"Hinata-sama…" Taiki muttered, "I thought I saw you using the _Byakugan_…" Kiriko gave a low hiss, "But you don't know _Dôjutsu_ enough to realize what was coming, meaning Tsurukawa Chie is close by?"

With that his hand flicked out, releasing a kunai into the brush to his right. Chie suddenly appeared, forced to break from her hiding place to dodge the blade.

"Damn…" Chie said, trying to as though what had just happened was no big deal, "So, did you know all along or just guess right?"

"With the direction you would have come from, that would be the ideal point if you were to attempt to grab Hanabi-sama and run."

"Taiki-nii-san…" Hinata said softly, "Please… there has to be another way."

"NO!" Kiriko suddenly shouted, "I will not allow it! I'll have my revenge!"

"I'm sorry, Hinata-sama," Taiki said with a sneer, "As you can see, my wife is quite insistent."

"Then… then use me!" Hinata demanded.

"Nee-" Hanabi started but quickly silenced herself. She was about to call out for her sister when she noticed something. She decided to remain quiet. Instead she cast a nervous glance towards Chie, whom the couple were mostly ignoring. Chie gave a hand signal with her right hand, out of sight of their enemies. She looked forward, her expression serious and determined, the best she could do to acknowledge her order.

"Use you?" Kiriko asked, oblivious to the occurrence behind them, "You'd let us?"

"If you spare Hanabi, I promise that I will allow you to mark me into the Branch Family instead." to make her point, she grabbed her bangs with one hand she pulled a kunai out the pouch she had taken in the other and used it to cut off the hair. Her forehead was fully exposed.

"That would satisfy your reven-"

"No." Kiriko said.

"E-Exuse…" Hinata said, quite surprised at the matter-of-fact answer.

"May I?" Taiki asked his wife, when she nodded he continued, "Hinata-sama, while I can respect what you're trying to do, it is pointless. It _must_ be Hanabi-sama we brand. It is the only satisfactory way to complete our revenge.

"Soon after Shun died, we were determined to make the Main Family, and in particular Hiashi-sama, who led it, feel the suffering they gave us. The obvious tactics, such as killing Hiashi-sama, were beyond us. We could not directly attack a member of the Main Family. Even if we succeeded, it would be considered nothing more than a small rebellion. A minor, if tragic, footnote in clan history. In fact, we would likely harm our fellow Branch by employing such a tactic, as they would suffer under whatever fallout such a rebellion inflicted.

"But then, Kiriko came up with an inspired idea. A way to hurt him as greatly as possible."

Kiriko laughed, apparently pleased with the mere thought.

"The two of us from that day dedicated ourselves to our duty as the Branch Family. Protecting the secrets of the _Byakugan_. Earning the trust of the Main Family at the cost of our reputation within the Branch."

"Lapdogs, they called us." Kiriko said with a grin, "Blind followers of duty… but they never realized, nor the Main Family…"

"Yes." Taiki went on, "We played our role well. None ever suspected our true goals. This was proven when their trust in us allowed us to be declared Hanabi-sama's protectors after her birth. They had no problem placing her safety to those who intended her harm."

"But why? Why all this? Why Hanabi! Why make her a Branch!"

"To drag out the pain." Kiriko said, her brown eyes lighting with joy "We lost our Shun, he is dead and gone forever. When Hanabi is made one of us, however…"

"…Our father will lose her." Hinata finished, understanding, "But she will still live. He will still see her. Day after day, a member of the Branch. No longer his daughter in anything save blood. Beyond his reach."

"Exactly!" Kiriko said with a laugh, "He'll live with the pain of losing a child. Yet every day he will see that child and be reminded of that loss."

"And," Taiki finished, "Hiashi-sama will be unlikely to punish the Branch as a whole too harsh, for his child would suffer as well."

"I understand that…" Hinata asked, "But why Hanabi? Why not use me!"

"You!" Kiriko asked incredulously, "The reason is quite simple! Who is the one favored by the Main Family! Who of the two of you is considered superior!"

"Hanabi…" Hinata admitted.

"Correct!" Kiriko shouted, "Hiashi will lose that superior child, forever seeing her but unable to acknowledge her. Left only with the inferior heir, now the only choice for becoming leader of the clan! Were we to make you a Branch, we'd only be doing everyone a favor!"

"NO!" shouted a voice. Everyone looked back to Hanabi.

"Why does everyone say Nee-san's weak!" she yelled, "She isn't, she's the strongest one here! She doesn't like to fight, but she will! She came to save me, even when she knew it was her own family she'd have to fight! She tried to put herself in my place! _How can you call that weak!_"

"She's certainly brave." Taiki conceded, "But her ability leaves much t-"

Taiki's words were suddenly cut off by what appeared to be a sudden rush of wind. Within that wind were leaves that flew by with the speed and sharpness of shuriken. Both kidnapper's dodged the sudden attack and turned on Hinata.

"_Konoha no Shuriken no Jutsu_." Hinata said in explanation, then called out "Hanabi! Chie! Now!"

The two Hyuga suddenly turned to where Chie was standing, only to realize she was no longer there. She appeared instead from the brush in the opposite end of the field. The distance to Hanabi was far greater from that point, which is why Taiki had not anticipated it. However, it wasn't as difficult to get to the girl than would be expected.

The two were so surprised at Chie's appearing in the wrong place that they failed to immediately notice Hanabi, suddenly free of the ropes binding her, getting up and running toward her. Before the kidnappers could act, their victim had met Chie halfway from where she had sat bound, leapt into her arms, and was carried off back into the forests. The only trace of anybody's presence being some strands of cut rope and a few small leaves lodged into the ground as though thrown into it like weapons. Leaves also present at the point where "Tsurukawa Chie" had been standing moments before.

The two turned, prepared now to focus their anger on Hinata. As they turned, Hinata ran directly between them and in the same direction Chie and Hanabi had run in.

"After them!" Kiriko demanded. The couple immediately gave chase.

"Use the eyes!" Kiriko ordered. Taiki immediately brought about his _Byakugan_ into effect. At first he did not see them, and worried if he'd miss them due to being out of practice. Eventually he caught sight of them. They had made good distance in the short time they had to run. Then Taiki noticed…

"They're splitting up!"

"Which one has the girl?"

"Both of them!"

"A Bunshin then. But which has the real one?"

"I can't tell." Taiki admitted.

"Use the Hebi no Nirami, freeze them both."

"I can't, they've gotten out of range!"

"Then I'll chase the Mist girl!"

"And I shall face Hinata-sama!"

With that Kiriko and Taiki parted ways. She chased after Chie, he pursued Hinata.

----------

Hinata leapt through the forests as best she could. The burden she carried on her back weighed her down and slowed her slightly. But she knew these forests well enough it had only a minimal effect on her speed.

Having long since activated her _Byakugan_, it was not long before she detected someone behind her. She saw Taiki pursuing her.

_Meaning Kiriko-nee-san is after Chie._ she thought, then confirmed with a glance in the direction the kuno'ichi of Mist had gone in.

Through her _Byakugan_, Hinata noticed Taiki weaving jutsu signs. She recognized the jutsu and made sure she was on solid ground before the chakra of the Serpent's Glare washed over her. She had her eyes guarded just as she had the first time, rendering the jutsu blocked.

_But he needn't know that._ Hinata thought as Taiki landed behind her.

"Hinata-sama. You did your best, I'm sure." he said as he approached, "But Kiriko has waited too long for this day. She means too much to me. I will not see her deprived of the revenge she longs for so dearly."

He reached out to remove Hanabi from Hinata's back when the child suddenly vanished in a puff of smoke. Taiki leapt back just in time to avoid another swarm of flying leaves. But he rendered himself open to Hinata's follow up. As he recovered from the leap, Hinata charged him and attempted a _Jûken_ blow onto his stomach. If it landed it would incapacitate him. However, Taiki was no stranger to the Gentle Fist. Anticipating where Hinata would strike he managed to use his own had to guard against hers.

"So your Hanabi-sama was the fake…" Taiki said as he backed away from Hinata and assumed fighting stance, "Just what kind of clone was that, may I ask?"

"_Habunshin no Jutsu._" Hinata replied. "The Leaf Clones, just as the Leaf Shuriken, were jutsu I learned among the Nimmori."

"I assume the Tsurukawa I discovered at the playground was also such?" Hinata nodded, "Well played." Taiki complimented her, "But now I'm afraid, I will have to end this."

"We needn't fight, Taiki-nii-san!"

"I'm sorry." he replied, "But as I said, Kiriko is too precious to me. I'll not see her denied."

"Then there is no other way." Hinata said, more a statement of fact than a question.

----------

Elsewhere, Chie, also carrying Hanabi on her back, leapt the trees in the direction Hinata had indicated she go. She didn't have the _Byakugan_, but it was easy to detect the woman behind her. She was not even trying to be cautious, bounding through the trees with a reckless fury that ensured she would soon catch up to Chie.

_Not that I'm worried._ Chie thought smugly. Hinata knew there was a good chance they'd fight, so she had the foresight to send Chie toward an ideal battleground. Which she reached as she cleared one more hurdle of tree limbs. Below her was a beautiful blue lake. Not particularly large, but suitable for Chie's purposes.

As Chie's left foot hit the water, a blow suddenly hit her from the side. Kiriko had managed to catch up at last and kicked Chie in her left side. The blow sent Chie off-balance and into the water, and caused Hanabi to fly off her back. Kiriko caught the child and, as Chie struggled to get her chakra to give her proper footing on the water, the woman pulled a kunai dagger and sent it right into Hanabi's belly.

As Chie climbed out and stood on the surface of the water, she saw Kiriko's features twisted into a mad glee as she dug the knife into the girl. A glee which suddenly became horror when the little girl began dissolving into water before her eyes.

"Just couldn't help yourself, could you?" Chie said with a smirk.

"_Mizubunshin no Jutsu_." Kiriko said as stood on the water, staring at the bloodless dagger in her hand, "How?" They hadn't been close to any water on the playground.

"Simple." Chie said as she pulled out her canteen and dangled it from a strap tied to it, "'Water is a _Kiri-nin's_ greatest asset. Always carry a supply with you at all times.' That's what my mother taught me as a girl."

Chie proved her point by swinging the canteen by the strap, splashing it into the water. She then grabbed the bottle and poured out the water that had just filled it. As the contents poured out, the began to take a shape. One which took the form of a small girl with pale eyes. Chie dispelled the bunshin by again swinging her canteen through it. All the while wearing a cocky smirk on her face, for no other reason than the fact she knew it would anger her enemy.

"So the child is with her sister." Kiriko said, "I'll deal with you and rejoin Taiki when he claims her."

"Sure, you tell yourself that, Psycho." Chie replied as she raised her left leg, "Meantime, I have no plans on letting you go anywhere."

Chie folded her hands in front of her, taking of the form of the sign of the Bird, "You don't have the White Eyes, so I don't know what you can do. But it won't matter much. I doubt you'll prove able to stand up to the trademark of my clan, _Tsuru-nindô_!"

"Little whelp…" Kiriko cursed.

----------

Far behind where the two sets of foes had begun their battles, a small girl emerged from a hole well-hidden behind a very thick group of bushes and shrubs. So thick in fact, that a casual glance, even from the _Byakugan_, would not betray the pit's presence. It was near impossible to detect someone in this place unless you knew to look for them. Hinata had known this, and that was why she had Chie place her little sister into it when she got her from Taiki and Kiriko. They had instead focused on Hinata and Chie, both carrying fake Hanabis, preventing them from realizing they had completely missed the real one in their pursuit.

She now had to proceed alone. But Hanabi was not scared. She knew her older sister was protecting her.


	13. HC vs TK

**_NARUTO  
DIPLOMACY_  
CHAPTER THIRTEEN**  
BY  
Sgamer82

In the courtyard of the Hyuga clan's manor, a lone boy trained.

Hyuga Neji cared little for loud and noisy gatherings. So he chose to refrain from the night's festivities. He was not alone in this. Most Hyuga preferred to keep to their clan's reputation for dignity and grace. That being the case, Neji practiced some moves and stances in the Hyuga compound's courtyard until he was interrupted by an odd scratching noise on the main gate, followed by a low whining.

_Akamaru?_ Neji asked himself, thinking of Kiba's dog. But then the noise seemed too deep. Perhaps a stray? Neji checked with the _Byakugan_ to find, not a dog at all, but a human boy scratching his fingernails on the gate. Confused, but sensing no threat, Neji approached and opened the gate to try and find out what was happening.

No sooner had the gate opened just a crack, then the boy had leapt through it. Neji immediately chased after him, and caught him just as he stopped at the flower garden just outside the main building. Neji saw him just sit there, sniffing at the air and looking around. Neji approached him, and noticed a scroll tied around his neck.

Cautiously (Though still giving off no malice, the boy seemed more animal than human) Neji untied the scroll and unrolled it. He stifled the gasp that had been just moments from leaving his lips.

_Hanabishi!_ Neji recognized the code immediately. He quickly read what little Hinata had managed to write.

Hanabi kidnapped

By Taiki, Kiriko

Pursuing, need help

Extending his _Byakugan's_ range as far as he could he caught glimpses in the forests near the village. Neji understood right away and without hesitation, found a large bell kept by the gate as a warning for intruders and began ringing it as hard as he could. One by one Hyuga, both Branch and Main, came out to the courtyard. Most looked at the boy still in the flowerbed, thinking him the intruder. Neji noticed this and quickly explained the situation.

"Hinata-sama has sent word that Hanabi-sama has been kidnapped! The kidnappers are none other than Kiriko-san and Taiki!" he didn't pause when everyone began gasping in shock and horror, "There are three places we must go. Hinata and an unknown Shinobi are fighting Taiki and Kiriko-san! Hanabi-sama travels alone back to the village. We must split to three groups, two to join in the battles, a third to collect Hanabi-sama."

The Hyuga quickly decided who would go where. Neji was assigned to the group that would be sent to aid Hinata. Everyone, their jobs decided, broke off and charged into the woods.

Leaving a very bewildered feral boy sitting in a flowerbed filled with very strong scents to wander off to only he knew where, his job apparently finished.

----------

_Train to be strong  
Yet forget not your limits  
Obey your senses  
While heeding logic's guide  
Emotions can lead  
And so too can they cloud  
Face your obstacles  
With both courage and wisdom  
Stand always on one  
So that you never forget  
The true meaning of  
What is called _Tsuru-Nindô_  
The Way of Balance_

These words ran through Tsurukawa Chie's mind. She heard them spoken in the voice of her mother. The mother who instilled those values into her daughter before the child could manage herself on two legs, let alone one. Those words were a mantra Chie carried with her into battle. In her earliest days, it was what kept her from panicking or freezing on missions. She no longer needed that, but it still provided a source of comfort, allowing her to relax and concentrate on the goal at hand.

Kiriko had yet to make a move. Smart. This battleground was specifically chosen to give Chie every advantage possible. Kiriko would have figured that out by now. So she wouldn't attack lightly. Chie herself was under no pressure to attack, either. Her mission was simply to stall so as to give Hanabi enough time to reach safety in the village.

As the stare down continued Kiriko began getting restless. Chie thought the woman might be realizing Chie's intentions. Either that, or she was simply itching to start fighting. Regardless of the reason, the Leaf kuno'ichi eventually made her move. She started simple, a quick toss of kunai directly at Chie. Chie gathered the intent was to provoke a response Kiriko could more easily react to.

_Not bad, except…_

"_Suiton: Mizutate!_" she cried out after performing the appropriate signs. A wall of water suddenly rose in front of Chie, catching and slowing the flying kunai until it stopped within the water; only the very point of the knife sticking out, inches from Chie's face. Chie was about to make a move of her own when she suddenly felt something grab her right ankle. The momentary lapse of concentration weakened her hold on the water, obviously what Kiriko intended as the woman pulled Chie into the lake.

_Distract me with frontal attack, catch me from below,_ Chie thought as she was submerged, _Good, but predictable._

Chie focused her strength into her left leg, and kicked down. She didn't hit Kiriko, but doing so would only have been a bonus anyway. Instead, the kick provided enough force for Chie to break Kiriko's hold, she swam up to the surface. Once she was above water again she placed her palm of her hand onto the pond's surface and, as though pulling herself up a solid ledge, flipped herself out of the water, and back to her foot. Kiriko wasn't quite as graceful, shooting out of the water with a small blast of water behind her as she surfaced. She stood on the pond's surface, and the staredown began anew.

"Hinata-sama sent you here intentionally," Kiriko said, "That much is clear. And our brief encounter shows it to be the correct decision. Were things to continue like this, the battle would drag on, with you eventually the victor."

Chie nodded, "Does that mean you'll surrender quietly?"

"NEVER!" Kiriko screamed, "Until that child is either dead or one of the Branch I will not stop!"

_Damn._ Chie thought. She knew what this meant. Kiriko would pull out her best, now, and do all in her ability to finish Chie quickly.

_But what does she have that can beat me in my most natural battlefield?_

Her question was answered when Kiriko brought her hands up to her forehead. She performed a quick series of signs before chanting her technique's name.

"_Ninpô: Chônôryoku!_"

The veins in Kiriko's forehead began to bulge out prominently and pulse with disgusting speed. Kiriko looked straight at Chie, her eyes wide and ecstatic.

"From this moment on, my powers exceed even the _Byakugan's_!"

----------

_Jûken_ vs. _Jûken_

This was not Hinata's first such battle. She had experienced a battle of similar style, and ferocity, when she had faced her cousin Neji. Only now she faced it against a shinobi with age, experience, and skill exceeding that of Neji's. Truthfully, Hinata did not think she would succeed in this battle.

_But success isn't my goal._ Hinata told herself, _I need only to last long enough._

The two Hyuga traded blow after blow. Neither allowing an attack to land anywhere close to their vital organs, where even a brush could be fatal. Instead they each blocked with their arms and legs if they could not dodge outright. After yet another vicious exchange, the two broke apart.

"You're holding back." Taiki taunted, "Do you think you can defeat me that way, when you could not match Neji-kun even when you fought your hardest?"

Then he suddenly looked at her more seriously, "Unless victory is not your intent…"

_No!_ before Taiki could make anything of this thought Hinata attacked again, with all the force she could muster. Despite Hinata fighting at her best, Taiki blocked, dodged, and parried every attack she attempted. Though she managed to avoid his _Jûken_ attacks, Hinata thought she felt a stab against her side and feared Taiki had hit a _Tenketsu_, the chakra points in her body that regulated her chakra flow. Hinata knew she would get nowhere this way, and would probably lose if it kept on. She decided different tactics were in order.

Taiki thrust his hand at her, palm held out flat. Instead of blocking, Hinata sidestepped the attack and grabbed Taiki's arm, before he could attempt a follow up. Taiki wondered what Hinata was attempting, only to have his question answered when Hinata began expelling chakra from most of her body. Taiki immediately recognized the jutsu, if not necessarily its usage.

"_Hakkeshô Kaiten!_" Hinata screamed as her body began to spin. With her firm grip on Taiki's arm, he spun around with her until the girl let go, sending the man soaring through the air. He went neither very high nor very far. Taiki was larger than she, and simply too heavy for Hinata to throw a considerable distance. It didn't matter, however. The Kaiten throw was only step one to Hinata's plan.

"_Nemakabishi no Jutsu!_" she cried out after performing the signs. As Taiki picked himself up off the ground, he suddenly found the root of a nearby tree spear the left hand he had been using to push himself to his feet. His right foot was also caught in the attack, but Taiki reacted quickly enough to move away from the series of tree root caltrops Hinata had called forth.

"Hm…" Taiki said as he looked at his pierced hand and foot, "Interesting. More Nimmori jutsu? I must say, Hinata-sama, I'm impressed." Taiki said conversationally, "You have grown considerably in just a few short months. Your jutsu and general ability are a good deal greater than before. However, I'm afraid they aren't good enough."

Without forming any signs for the jutsu, without a word, Taiki looked Hinata directly in the eyes. Suddenly, Hinata found herself unable to move.

_What?_ She thought to herself, _How!_

She had not seen him perform the _Hebi no Nirami_, she had been focusing chakra toward her eyes non-stop for that jutsu, and yet she had unmistakably been struck by it. Taiki surveyed Hinata's frozen form.

"I fear it is time to put this to an end." Taiki said as he held out his palm. He charged Hinata and prepared to strike.

* * *

**AUTHORS NOTES:  
CHARACTER NOTES - MADOSHI **  
Madoshi is not my creation. Like Chie, he belongs to my friend Toujin. There is a good deal more to him than is seen here in the story. For instance, despite apppearances he _can _speak, but not very well. However, my main purpose in his use was as a Red Herring. Something to distract, so you didn't see the real situation until later. Looking back, you'll notice that the first-person perspective scenes were the thoughts of Kiriko. Though I used the F.P.P. to hide her identity, making it seem as though Chie could be the speaker. I was careful about wording things to avoid giving the twist away too soon. I think I was successful. Madoshi's role was to cover for Taiki's presence in those scenes. When Kiriko met him, the idea was to make it look like Chie was meeting a partner, and that partner might have been Madoshi. This was implied by having Kiba think he heard Madoshi there when he showed up. Personally, I don't think I was as successful there as I don't know if anybody made the connection. 


	14. Chounouryoku

**SNAG IN THE PLAN:** My plan to update and finish this story somewhat quickly has hit an unwanted snag. The computer I use at home is out of commission a th emoment. And that's the one I have the story on. Therefore, I'll be offline until its fixed AND unable to work on the story. At worst, I may have to re-do chapter 16 from scratch (which is probalby okay as I had anice idea for a last-second addition to it). But in the meantime I'll be out of touch. Sorry.

* * *

**_NARUTO  
DIPLOMACY_  
CHAPTER FOURTEEN**  
BY  
Sgamer82

_No!_ Hinata thought, _I can't let him do it! I have to dodge! Evade! Something!_

But it was no good. No matter how hard Hinata concentrated, she could not move anything save her fingers and toes. In less time than it would take to blink, he was in front of Hinata, and slammed his upturned hand directly into her chest.

Hinata's body was knocked down onto its back, still in the same position of battle readiness it had been in when the jutsu had struck her, as though a statue had fallen over. Taiki stood up straight and surveyed his victim, he noticed no movement, even the automatic rising and falling of the torso caused by breathing.

Satisfied he had emerged victorious, he looked outward. He saw Tsurukawa and Kiriko engaged in battle. He saw Hanabi moving alone. He saw the Hyuga clansmen and women heading directly for them. He pondered his options. With the Hyuga coming, they were few. He could aid Kiriko. He could see she was using her best jutsu to face Tsurukawa. Fearing the damage that jutsu could do, his strongest instinct was to go to her, end the battle, and flee. He knew, however, that would not satisfy Kiriko.

_We have come this far, waited so long,_ he thought to himself, _And all we have to show for it is the death of the "inferior" heir. My path is clear._

From a pouch at his belt, he removed a kunai. There was simply no longer time to fulfill their objective as planned. Knowing Kiriko would want some form of revenge completed before it was too late, Taiki decided only one thing could be done. He would track down and kill Hanabi.

Before he left, he looked to Hinata's body, her limbs beginning to loosen as the _Hebi no Nirami_ he had performed began to wear off. What he had done was only a short burst, performing the jutsu with the most minimal chakra he could without detection. Far weaker than the jutsu in its full form, it created only a momentary opening. All he'd needed to land his fatal shot. He gave the girl a nod of acknowledgement, before setting off, to finish the mission he had begun.

----------

_This isn't possible!_ Chie thought to herself. Yet it was happening. Despite having every tactical advantage, Kiriko somehow seemed to be the one who was winning.

_What is it about that jutsu?_ she asked herself. The _Chônôryoku_ jutsu seemed to have given Kiriko some advantage Chie couldn't figure out. No matter what Chie threw at her, Kiriko evaded and countered. Chie withdrew two shuriken from the pouch tied to her raised ankle.

"_Shuriken Bunshin no Jutsu!_" she cried as she let the weapons fly. As they left her hand, the shuriken suddenly multiplied into several dozen. However, only the two she had thrown would do any damage. Should they fail, the stars Chie pulled out and threw into the cloned blades should connect.

Kiriko made no move to dodge, no move to counter. The small swarm of ninja stars flew past, over, and through her. The woman moved only twice. Two grabs in the air with both hands, each yielding two ninja stars. The four real ones Chie had thrown. Kiriko held them up, her mad smile and pulsing forehead frustrating and disgusting Chie. Suddenly, the woman vanished.

Chie reacted just in time to duck under a chop by Kiriko to her right. That dodge placed her right into the path of Kiriko's knee, which brought itself up into Chie's face. Chie's head was kicked upward, and Kiriko grabbed it in her hands, intending to snap her neck. Chie's hands began weaving signs immediately.

"_Bakufu Chûjô!_" she called out through gritted teeth.

Kiriko let go and got away just before a sudden blast of water erupted from directly below Chie. _Bakufu Chûjô_, the "Waterfall Pillar," was a defensive jutsu that, when successful, would have hit the enemy with an upward jet of water, sending her into the air and setting up a second attack to counter. The fact that Kiriko dodged the move entirely did not deter Chie. There was a follow-up to the Pillar for just such a situation. As water sent upward to the sky began to fall back down, Chie brought her hands into the sign of the Pig.

"_Suiton: Hari Furi!_"

What would have otherwise been just a gentle rainfall suddenly turned into a rain of needles. The Needle Rain's obvious intent was to skewer any enemy who dodged the _Bakufu Chûjô_. And yet again Kiriko evaded, halting the chakra flow to her feet, her body immediately sank into the lake they fought upon, the _Hari Furi_ fell harmlessly as true rain upon still water. When Kiriko re-emerged from the water, she wore that self-satisfied smirk on her face once more.

_Dammit how!_ Chie thought in frustration, _How does she know what I'm going to do? It's like… she knows… what to…_

That's when it hit her.

_Of course!_ Chônôryoku_! The word refers to psychic ability… she's somehow increased her awareness of her surroundings. To the point she can somehow predict what will happen around her! But… the only way to create such an effect in one who lacks it naturally…_

"No…" Chie muttered aloud, looking at the veins in Kiriko's forehead "It can't be."

"Finally got it?" Kiriko asked smugly.

"You mean… you actually… you're channeling chakra directly into your brain!"

"That's right." Kiriko responded.

"Are you _insane!_" Chie demanded, "Do you have any idea what kinds of effects doing that can do?"

"Of course." Kiriko answered, "_Chônôryoku_ is a _Kinjutsu_. A forbidden art. The slightest mistake in chakra manipulation, and the brain can be permanently damaged, rendering the user a mindless vegetable."

_Not to mention the effect on a person's mental health._ Chie said to herself, thinking that it explained a great deal of Kiriko's behavior.

"You'd risk that… do that to yourself… for what?"

"You should know as well as anyone, girl." Kiriko replied, "Revenge. The Hyuga killed my Shun. I perfected this jutsu as a way to counter the _Byakugan_. The freaks' skill comes in being able to attack the bodies in ways impossible for a normal human. But if I know where that attack shall go, then countering is simple. As I have been demonstrating."

Chie looked at the woman before her, far more shaken than she had been entering this fight. The woman who had put her life and health after her hatred for a few individuals. A voice echoed in Chie's mind. A voice of the past. The voice of her mother. Chie's mind repeated the words over and over. Her last words. Tsurukawa Sadako's final words to her child.

_"Chie, if I die, promise me something. Promise me you will never seek revenge!"_


	15. Revenge

**_NARUTO  
DIPLOMACY_  
CHAPTER FIFTEEN**  
BY  
Sgamer82

"_What do you mean 'never seek revenge?'" Chie asked in shock, "You sound almost like you expect to-"_

_"Did you see them, Chie?" Tsurukawa Sadako asked as she packed a bag, "The two men we passed by in the town earlier today?"_

_"The Black-Coats?" Chie asked, "What about them?"_

_"Did you recognize one of them at all?"_

_"No. I didn't." Chie admitted. She knew her mother's question meant she should have._

_"One of them was Hoshigaki Kisame."_

_Chie gasped. She knew the name. A well known criminal. A renegade of the Mist Village. Chie suddenly understood why her mother had been so serious upon returning to the room they were staying in._

_"What was _he _doing here?" Chie asked._

_"I don't know. Nor am I particularly concerned." Sadako answered. _

_"Yeah!" Chie said with enthusiasm, "What's it matter, when we'll be taking him down!" _

_"_We _won't." _

_"What? But-"_

_"Chie, you were only just promoted to _Chûnin _level. Hoshigaki is an S-Ranked criminal. So, I'm willing to bet, is his companion." _

_"Then taking them on alone is suicide!" Chie retorted._

_"I won't be alone." Sadako told her, "A group of Tracker Ninja close by made contact with me. They've been following Hoshigaki for a while and have asked for my aid in killing him."_

_That was unusual. Tracker Ninja typically didn't rely on outside help. That they thought it necessary here…_

_"They don't think they can win, do they?"_

_"No. But they're determined to try. And… I've decided to help them." _

_"What! But… but would just you make any difference?"_

_"Perhaps. Perhaps not. Regardless, the man is a renegade of our village. It's my duty to try. If we hesitate, he may slip away from us." _

_"Sadako-san." said a man who entered the room. Chie didn't see his face. It was hidden behind a mask marked with the emblem of Kirigakure. She barely even sensed his entry into the room._

_"I'm ready." Sadako replied as she put on the rest of hear gear. Before leaving, she turned once more to her daughter._

_"Chie. Promise me, if the worst should happen, you won't seek revenge!" _

_"I…" Chie bit her lower lip, "I can't promise that…"_

_"Chie! I mean this, don't go after them! It will destroy you!" _

_Chie couldn't meet her mother's eyes. When she failed to reply, Sadako merely sighed. _

_"Chie…" _

_"Sadako-san." said the hunter. Sadako nodded._

_"One more thing, Chie. Return home to Kirigakure, and do not try to follow us."_

_Chie turned her back on her mother. Unable to watch as she walked out the door._

----------

Hyuga Kiriko grinned a twisted smirk as Tsurukawa struggled with her new knowledge. Kiriko thought the girl might actually be sick right there. It was certainly a possibility, and Taiki had certainly been, when he had learned the lengths Kiriko had gone to assure the success of their revenge. She watched the Mist girl intently, the _Chônôryoku_ showing the woman every possible method with which her enemy might strike.

The ability enhanced Kiriko's extra-sensory perception to a degree few humans, even those with _Kekkei Genkai_, such as the Hyuga or Uchiha, could match. The ability was not perfect, Kiriko did not know with absolute certainty what would come. Instead, she saw Tsurukawa surrounded by various ghosts of herself. Each one performing a possible action the girl herself may perform. Some, Tsurukawa charging head on, going underwater for a sneak strike, were clear as day. Others, Tsurukawa attempting to run away, were barely visible. The clearer the specter, the more likely the action.

One of the images of the girl became crystal clear. Kiriko knew in that instant that her opponent had decided on a course of action. Tsurukawa charged her head-on. Running along the water, never having both her feet on the 'ground' at the same time. As the girl approached, Kiriko saw the ghosts surrounding the girl shift and move again until once more an image became sharp and clear. Kiriko easily blocked as Tsurukawa came up in a spinning jump kick with a cry of "_Kiri Senpu!_"

"Nice try." Kiriko mocked, "We have that move in Konoha, too."

Though Tsurukawa herself remained expressionless, Kiriko saw on her face the faint ghosts of grins and arrogant smirks. Looking to her side, she saw the water begin churning and rising. Kiriko halted the flow of chakra into her feet and plunged into the water just in time for the kicks of several _Mizubunshin_ of Tsurukawa to pass harmlessly over her. Before the Mist ninja could attempt a jutsu to harm or trap her while underwater (as she knew the girl was currently in the middle of attempting) Kiriko kicked hard and brought herself back to the surface just in time to see the Mist girl charging her yet again, trapping jutsu abandoned. This time however, Kiriko was unable to adjust or react fast enough. This time, when Tsurukawa attempted the Mist Hurricane, the first strike connected soundly with Kiriko's head. The Water Clone strikes that followed also hit their target, connecting with Kiriko's legs and arms. She felt the bone in her left forearm break from the attack.

For a moment, Kiriko thought it was all over, until _Chônôryoku_ showed her what Tsurukawa would do next, and she knew just how to take full advantage of her chance.

----------

"_We have this move in Konoha, too." huh?_ Chie thought as her blows brought Kiriko to a halt, _What do folk who live on land know about _real _hurricanes?_

Chie wasn't sure if what she had attempted would work. Faced with an enemy that could foresee her moves, Chie's first thought was to attack relentlessly, and shoot for an opportunity where Kiriko would leave herself unable to dodge, rendering her ability to see the attack coming useless. She had gotten her moment, and now Kiriko fell into the water, floating face-up.

Chie jumped backward. She didn't intend to kill Kiriko, not if she could help it, at least. Hinata wouldn't wish that, and Chie knew it. Instead she waited, for Kiriko to show signs of either further struggle, or submission. The woman just laid there, bobbing up and down with the recently disturbed water of the lake.

_Was she conscious?_ Her eyes were open, but they didn't move, or react. _Did her jutsu do her in?_ Kiriko didn't seem to be doing much of anything, it was possible her _Chônôryoku_ had backfired on her.

Hesitantly, Chie walked toward Kiriko and kneeled beside her. She hefted the Leaf woman out of the water and carried her unmoving body to the lake's shore. Even though Kiriko was making no movement whatsoever, Chie's instincts were screaming out to her. Something was wrong, but Chie couldn't figure out what. Not until they were several feet from the lake.

Kiriko's head suddenly shot up, colliding with Chie's nose. Out of reflex, Chie released her hold on Kiriko and grabbed at her nose. The Leaf woman dropped onto the ground and managed a sweeping kick which caught Chie right in the back of her legs, sending her falling to the ground. As Chie fell, Kiriko quickly brought herself up to her feet, and held up her hand to strike. From the way she seemed intent on striking with her fingers, Chie knew what was to come. The woman would aim for the neck, hitting the windpipe with enough force to damage it, and Chie's breathing with it.

----------

Tsurukawa had taken advantage of creating a situation where Kiriko could not evade an attack she saw coming. In the instant between Tsurukawa's being tripped and her landing on the ground, Kiriko had begun to do the same. A quick stab to the neck, directly into the trachea. If she did not pierce the windpipe, she would still injure it, which would obstruct, or simply halt, the girl's breathing, and bring this fight to an end.

She brought her strike down, upon the girl's neck. Tsurukawa fell to the ground, clutching her neck and gasping for air. But Kiriko didn't close in for the killing blow. Instead, she was wide-eyed in shock, turning her head to stare at three things. Her fingers, one of which had apparently broken in the attack, and to Tsurukawa, who was getting to her knees, and the object tied around Tsurukawa's neck, a Leaf Village headband, now sporting a dent the size of two female fingers.

"Impossible…" Kiriko muttered, "It can't be."

_Chônôryoku_ had shown her the possibility. The chance that the _Hitai-ate_ around Tsurukawa's neck would fall into just the proper location to block Kiriko's strike. She had seen a mere phantom of an image, reflecting the odds of the event occurring as being incredibly slight. It was a long shot, should never have happened, yet Kiriko had seen it with her own eyes.

----------

Chie coughed, gasped, and gulped in as much air as she could. Her nose was bleeding from Kiriko's head butt, her neck bruised. But she was unhurt otherwise. To her surprise, Chie managed to get back to her feet, and back into fighting position. She had fully expected Kiriko to move in for the kill while Chie was vulnerable. Instead, when she got to her feet, Chie found the woman simply muttering to herself. Words like "barely there" and "impossible" reached Chie's ears. She looked down and immediately saw what she thought she was referring to.

_Guess even psychics can't predict luck._ Chie thought to herself. As Kiriko began whispering to herself about phantoms, Chie fingered the dent her strike had left, If indeed it was luck.

"Give up." Chie said, simply and clearly as she could. Her bloody nose was interfering with her speech slightly. Kiriko snapped out of her rant, seeming to only just remember Chie was even there.

"Give up?" she asked, "Give up! You expect me to simply forget what I've suffered! What was done to me!"

_"I should just ignore what he did! Forget the pain!"_

Chie shook her head. She was growing more unsettled by the woman she fought by the minute.

"Even if it means my mind, my life, my very soul! I'll have my revenge!"

_"I'll kill him, even if it means my life! I'll sacrifice my soul if I have to!"_

"SHUT UP!" Chie screamed. She charged Kiriko, knowing well before she acted it was a stupid thing to do. Only Kiriko's being distracted by talking to herself kept Chie's opening from being fatal. The other woman noticed too late, and was able to only dodge Chie before she was hit by the Mist ninja's punch. When Kiriko next looked at Chie, breathing heavily, both feet squarely on the ground, _Tsuru-Nindô_ forgotten, a wicked grin emerged on her face.

"That's right… you have a vendetta as well. Just how committed to it are you?"

"I'll kill the man that killed her!" Chie yelled.

"And just how far will you go to achieve that?" Kiriko sneered, "Will you put your life on the line?"

"Yes!"

"You would kill any enemy who stood in your way?"

"Of course!"

"Any friend?"

"I-" Chie said, then stopped. Kill a friend? For the sake of her vengeance? The woman was insane.

"You wouldn't, would you." Kiriko said, "Such a half-hearted avenger you are."

Again enraged, Chie charged. Kiriko easily caught her reckless punch and threw her to the ground. She grabbed Chie's right arm, and planted a foot onto her shoulder.

"So…" Chie said from the dirt, "I'm not really into it unless I'm willing to be as psycho as you are?"

She regretted that statement the moment Kiriko twisted her arm. Chie was unable to muster the energy to fight back. The knowledge that the woman standing over her had one arm and several other bones broken, was knowingly damaging herself, all because someone close to her died caused confusion in the Mist ninja. Conflicting emotions of rage, regret, and realization attacked her mind as she began to realize the meaning of she and her mother's final conversation at long last.

It was all Chie could do not to scream in agony. Kiriko twisted her arm, and stomped onto her back. Chie needed to escape this hold before the woman got bored and decided to simply finish things. Chie slowly slid her left arm underneath her. Her only hope was to do this quickly. While Kiriko was preoccupied with her other arm, and before her _Chônôryoku_ alerted her to danger.

Chie focused her strength into her left arm, and pushed herself up as hard as she could. Kiriko was thrown off balance by the sudden move, and leapt off Chie's back to avoid falling over. Chie got to her feet as fast as she could, before her enemy could recover. She was back on her right foot, her left raised high. Prepared for battle once more.

"I understand now." Chie said to herself, then turned to her foe, "I owe you my thanks for that."

Kiriko raised an eyebrow. Suddenly struck with an idea, Chie decided to explain.

"You see, when I was promoted to _Chûnin_, my mother took me on a training journey. It got cut short when we spotted a renegade ninja from our village. She and a group tracking him tried to kill him and a partner he was traveling with. They failed. I was told not to follow, but I did anyway and learned from one of the hunters, just before he died of his wounds, that my mother had fallen to the criminal's partner. A _Dôjutsu_ user who did it with a mere look of some weird kind of eyes.

"The thing is, my mother knew this might happen, and specifically warned me against seeking revenge. At first, I thought she just meant I wasn't strong enough to fight him. So I dedicated myself to studying and learning all I could of this man, so that I could one day face him. But now, I see the true meaning of the warning. The reason she didn't want me chasing her killer _wasn't_ because I was too weak."

"Then what was it?" Kiriko asked.

"The reason she didn't want me to be an avenger… She didn't want me to become obsessed with revenge. So focused on it I was consumed by my hatred. Ignored anything that didn't help me, and destroying anything that hindered me.

"In other words, my mother didn't want me becoming a psychopath like you!"

Kiriko, until now listening with mild interest, was immediately incensed at the sudden insult. Chie timed her throw perfectly. Less than a second after her statement, in the instant Kiriko recognized the insult for what it was, Chie had pulled out a shuriken from the pouch strapped to her left ankle and threw it directly at her foe. It hit Kiriko's right eye and reduced her to screaming in pain as she groped at her eye.

Kiriko looked at Chie, her good eye wide and bloodshot in fury. She began performing signs. The veins in her head that had been pulsing and bulging all battle began to beat with more frequency. With a final sign, Kiriko screamed out her jutsu.

"_Chônôryoku - Nendô!_"


	16. Gentle Leaf Fist

Good news. Computer's been back for a while now and I managed in that time to do a coulpe more chapters. Enjoy.

**_NARUTO  
DIPLOMACY_  
CHAPTER SIXTEEN**  
BY  
Sgamer82

"_Okay, Firecracker, listen up because there's not much time to explain."_

_Chie had just grabbed Hanabi in the field, and was running into the woods with her. Towards the foliage covered pit Hinata had chosen as a hiding place._

_"Chi-n-" Hanabi said but Chie cut across her._

_"We'll hide you someplace even the Byakugan can't spot you. Your sister an' me are gonna take those two on. But there's no guarantee we can win."_

_"No w-" _

_"We sent a message for reinforcements but we're not sure it'll get where its supposed to. So once the coast is clear, it'll be up to you to get back home and tell everyone you can what's going on."_

_Chie quickly skidded to a stop on the grass, and, before she could protest, Hanabi had found herself shoved into a hole in the ground. Chie came in right after, and began creating a clone out of water in her canteen. She was still speaking as she worked her jutsu. _

_"We'll keep them busy as long as possible, even beat 'em if we can. But don't assume we'll win. Complete your mission and get us help!"_

_"Chie!" shouted a voice._

_Hanabi activated her Byakugan and saw Hinata arrive. Hanabi watched as her sister created a clone of Hanabi out of leaves, just as Chie had with water. Chie and her fake-Hanabi emerged from their hiding place. Both Hanabi clones climbed onto the backs of their creators, and with no words exchanged between them, Hinata and Chie set off in different directions. Not long after, Kiriko and Taiki leaped past, completely ignoring the hidden Hanabi and going after her sister and her friend._

--------

Hyuga Hanabi leapt through the trees. Her pace was slow, as she had yet to get much practice in this particular art, but still faster than moving on foot through the uneven terrain. Her path was long, a she had chosen a path far from any traps Kiriko might have set-up in preparation for her and Taiki's plan. But she was determined to get back as soon as she could. She might not be a Genin yet, but Hanabi had a mission, and she swore she'd see it though.

She used her _Byakugan_, but had no idea what was going on in the fighting right now. Hanabi had gone too far, and now Hinata and Chie were beyond her range. Instead, she focused on seeing what was ahead of her, so she could proceed somewhat faster. She was so intent on looking in front of her, she realized too late what was coming behind her.

A man, moving far faster than Hanabi was, approached from behind. Hanabi barely saw the kunai thrown before her body reacted. She leapt to the side, off the branch she stood on and to the ground. She landed on both feet, facing towards the source of the attack.

"Very good, Hanabi-sama." said the man as he leapt down to greet her. Taiki had a grin on his face, as though he was sincerely pleased she had dodged.

"Taiki!" Hanabi growled.

"No more '_nii-chan?'_" Taiki asked, "Where are your manners?"

"Where's Nee-san!" Hanabi demanded. Before she'd gotten too far, she had seen Hinata fight Taiki while Chie battled Kiriko.

"Dead." Taiki replied, "And, as time is short, you will be next."

"No!" Hanabi gasped, more for his response about Hinata than her own fate.

"I would have preferred to let you live, to be honest." Taiki said, pulling a fresh kunai from a pouch, "Kiriko wants her retribution, however, and, to be quite honest, she's more important to me than you are."

It happened in a flash. Hanabi saw most of the movements, but Taiki was simply too fast. He rushed at her, brandishing the knife to be sent into her heart. Before she could react, he was just a step away from her. He plunged the blade forward. Hanabi shut her eyes, braced for what was coming. Her eyes shut, she never saw what happened. Instead she heard only Taiki shout in surprise and something big and heavy hit the ground and slide.

"What!" she heard him shout.

Hanabi's eyes shot open. The knife lay on the ground before her, unused. Taiki was off to the side, picking himself up off the ground. Hanabi turned to her other side, what she saw made her shout with joy.

"Nee-san!"

Hinata stood there, breathing heavily, her _Byakugan_ flaring. She appeared hurt, but she wasn't dead, as Hanabi had been told.

"How!" Taiki roared.

"Your attack…" Hinata said between breaths, "I… blocked it!" Hinata then took a deep breath and called out to her sister.

"Hanabi!" Hinata shouted, "Get out of here! I'll keep him away!"

Hanabi turned to obey, but as she turned found herself unable to move. Looking straight ahead, she saw Taiki looking directly at her.

"No!" Hinata cried as she rushed to stand between her sister and the would-be assassin.

"Come, Hinata-sama. Do you truly think you can defeat me as you are now?" he asked as he revealed his _Byakugan_, "I can see right through you. Your heartbeat is erratic, and your chakra is hardly flowing at its greatest efficiency. I assume you managed to channel chakra to the veins in your chest, to soften the effects of my blow. I can see it wasn't fully effective, and I bet old injuries are being aggravated as well."

Hanabi looked at Hinata with her own eyes, and saw Taiki was correct. Hinata was having trouble breathing. Plus her heartbeat, as well as the chakra flow in her torso, weren't right. Hinata was hurt… yet…

"I won't stand down." her elder sister said defiantly, "I won't go against my word! I will not allow you to harm my sister!"

"Hmph" Taiki snorted, "Broken body, whole spirit." he let out a sigh, "Truly you are the worst type of enemy… Very well, I'll finish you first. This time I'll be SURE to kill you!"

He charged, again utilizing amazing speed. This time, however, Hinata was ready and able to defend herself. Hanabi watched as, in the instant between Taiki's charge, and his reaching attacking distance of Hinata, her sister crouched down and kicked straight up, hitting Taiki in the gut. The older ninja staggered and leapt back. It was then Hinata did something unusual.

Hanabi and Taiki watched as Hinata kicked off her sandals and proceeded to tear the sleeves off the yukata she had been wearing. She then took a crouching stance unlike anything Hanabi had ever seen practiced by _Jûken_ users. Taiki had apparently never seen it either, as he raised an eyebrow at the sight. But he didn't waver. Despite the strange stance, he attacked once more.

Attempting to land an open palmed blow on Hinata, his hand shot downward where the girl crouched and planted it firmly on the dirt where she had been moments before. Looking up, he saw Hinata had made a quick leap straight up. Her leg shot out, catching Taiki in the face.

Instead of getting up, Taiki rolled to the side to evade a batch of Hinata's leaf shuriken. He got back to his feet and charged Hinata again, only to suddenly halt when something grabbed him from behind.

Hanabi watched in awe as the leaves that had flown past Taiki formed themselves into a clone of Hinata. Taiki, focused on the real Hinata, had noticed the change behind him too late. The Leaf-Hinata held him fast as Hinata took the offensive.

She ran at Taiki, palm open as she aimed a blow at his right pectoral. An attack, Hanabi knew, would debilitate his breathing if successful. It was not to be, however, as Hinata's attack was wasted on a large stone that suddenly appeared in the leaf clone's arms. The clone immediately dispelled and shot outward behind Hinata. Taiki aborted his attempt to attack Hinata from behind. Hinata meanwhile turned around, somersaulted, and sent a kick upward. Again, towards Taiki's chest. Wide-eyed, he parried the kick and put some distance between them.

"_Jûken_ through the feet…" he muttered, "Unusual, but not unheard of."

--------

Hinata struggled for every breath, as she stood facing her cousin. Though injured and aching, she didn't allow it to affect her. Taiki had taken a defensive position. Hinata knew her latest gambit had taken him off guard.

The Taijutsu style she utilized was one learned among the Nimmori. She had only learned its basics while there, but in recent months had trained to refine it. Unfortunately, the style in itself proved to be somewhat mediocre compared to the many other styles seen in Konoha. Based more on agility than power, it incorporated various acrobatics and nimble movements. However, the style was only good in relatively confined areas, such as caves, tunnels, or thick forests. In an open field or man-made arena, it was far less useful.

Hinata had worked with it anyway, and while training with her teammates had discovered how to combine the Nimmori style with her clan's _Jûken_ style. The result was a new variation of _Jûken_, which allowed for more versatility in situations the Nimmori Taijutsu worked well in. The fact that the style was mostly original also proved useful. Just as it had with Taiki, it threw off an enemy by catching them with an unknown.

Hinata again took a fighting stance. But not the crouch, which enabled her to spring up in nearly any direction to evade an attack. Instead, her new stance put her feet forward, her body turned to the side, able to twist her body left (with her upper body) or right (with her lower), should any side was movement become necessary.

Still, Hinata was nervous. If her idea had a flaw, it was the simple fact that she had yet to discover all its flaws. She had only recently begun trying her new style in practice, and had yet to attempt to use it in a real battle.

_All the same…_ Hinata thought, _It is my only chance. To match him at pure _Jûken _is impossible. He's far more advanced than I, and I'm now too injured to fight at my full strength, anyway. My only hope is to use something he doesn't know, has never seen or heard of. My own creation: _Jûhaken_, the Gentle Leaf Fist!_


	17. River of Serenity

**_NARUTO  
DIPLOMACY_  
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN**  
BY  
Sgamer82

"_Chônôryoku - Nendô!_"

The shuriken in Kiriko's eye suddenly began to remove itself from her face. Blood flowed for a brief moment before suddenly halting. Shuriken and kunai emerged from the pouches Kiriko wore. Tsurukawa gasped as even her own stars began to whip out of her pouch and join the weapons floating before Kiriko.

"I'm done with this fight." Kiriko announced, and with no other words, the shuriken and kunai began to fly straight at Tsurukawa. The Mist girl cart wheeled to the right. The weapons changed direction and homed in on her.

_Chônôryoku - Nendô_. Psychic Ability - Psychokinesis. It changed the nature of _Chônôryoku_. Instead of precognition, foreseeing the potential movements of everything around her, her chakra tapped into other portions of the human brain, increasing her ability to mentally affect objects around her. Moving them with her will. The various ghosts around Tsurukawa faded as Kiriko's kinetic abilities came to the fore. She didn't need to foresee Tsurukawa's next move anyway, it was obvious.

As Kiriko expected, the girl made a run back toward the lake, only to halt when the water within rose up to meet her. At Kiriko's instruction, a wave of her controlled weapons came at Tsurukawa from behind, flying right into the girl and cutting through her body. 

Kiriko was dismayed, but not all that surprised, to see the weapons pass through a body of water in the shape of Tsurukawa. What lay before Kiriko was a a puddle of water, with the ground just beyond it littered with knives and stars. 

_I guess that would have just been too easy…_ Kiriko thought to herself, as she scanned the lines of trees on either side, hunting for her prey.

----------

_Kawarimi no Jutsu…_ Chie thought to herself, as she watched the last drops of water drip from her canteen, _Switching off with a_ Mizubunshin _used up my water._

Chie was in trees, directly to the right of and slightly behind Kiriko. She had no intention of revealing herself too quickly. Staying put for a moment helped eat up time, which was the whole point of this fight. Secondly, there were simply too many unknowns at the moment to allow Chie to all-out attack.

_Did this new telekinetic power replace her foresight? Is she using both at once? The former's most likely. Using both powers simultaneously would probably put intense strain on her body and mind. On the other hand, with what I've seen already I'd be a fool to put anything past her at this point. She did predict I'd go to the lake to utilize water jutsu. But considering my position anybody could have guessed I would do that. Plus she didn't seem to anticipate where I went following the Kawarimi. So, at the very least, this suggests she can't use both abilities at the same time._

All of this conjecture, however, failed to answer the question most on Chie's mind.

_What do I do now? Do I attack her? I'm not in this to win the fight, just keep it going. If I stay hidden and let her search I can accomplish that. So should I wait her out? Also risky, really. She could do something drastic to pull me out of hiding, leaving me vulnerable._

Chie considered her position. 

_I'll attack. It's best to take the initiative here. I'll be revealing myself on my terms, not hers. Also, so long as I'm prepared for what she might do, and have a plan of action for myself, I can easily prolong the fight as intended. If I can win, so much the better. But… if I think I'll lose, I'll have to make sure she's at least weak enough so that she can't help Hubby. That way Phantom won't be in a worse spot._

Chie had just the jutsu for the job.

_It's the most powerful weapon I have. The lake water is more than enough to pull it off. Two problems though. First, getting close enough to the lake without being seen. Second, actually performing the jutsu._

It wasn't that it was a difficult to perform jutsu (it was, but Chie had long since mastered it). The problem with pulling it off lay in the need for sign weaving. If Kiriko possessed telekinetic abilities right now, then she could simply stop Chie's hands from moving to perform the signs.

_Best bet is some kind of distraction. Something for her to focus that power on while I do my jutsu. But what? No water…_ she held up her empty canteen, _so water clones are out. Regular clones might not be affected by her. She took all my weapons. Any other jutsu I can think of might drain my chakra enough that I can't use the big hitter effectively._

Chie had a difficult time deciding her next move. However, the decision was soon taken from her hands. The battle had suddenly gained some new arrivals.

----------

Kiriko had waited for Tsurukawa to make a move. But nothing had appeared to happen. Kiriko had expected either an attack or some other attempt to distract her while Tsurukawa made her way to the lake. Though it seemed the girl wasn't so foolish, a reckless move at this stage could mean the end. Even Kiriko's mind, twisted as it had been by _Chônôryoku_, knew that. Knowing that, it meant that victory could be gained by forcing a reckless move.

When she had felt their presences, she had thought the girl was attempting some form of solid clone to distract her. When she turned around though, a different sight greeted her.

"Kiriko! You must stop this madness!"

Before her stood a man. He was accompanied by three others. All possessed the white eyes of the Hyuga clan. Kiriko could feel her own eyes narrow and her lips sneer in contempt.

"Well… such a tiny group." she said to them.

"Kiriko! Whatever you had in mind has failed." the man. Kiriko supposed he was Main Branch, noting the bare head, lacking neither Branch mark nor headband (it was tied to his forearm), "Come with us, quietly." 

"Or what? You'll kill me?" she taunted, "Do you think you can? I lack the Juin. You'll have to actually bring me down by force. Something I have ensured is impossible."

Then, to make the point clear, she brushed her hand. The Hyuga on the far left, a girl barely in her teens, suddenly flew to the right and collided with another, an elderly man. The other two, the man who had spoken and a woman, reacted quickly enough to move out of the way. One of those who evaded pulled and threw a kunai. Kiriko halted it in midair and altered its course turning it to her right, directly into the path of the Hyuga woman who had attempted to take advantage of what they thought would be Kiriko's attempt to dodge the blade. 

The kunai struck the woman in the chest. Kiriko was disappointed to see she had missed the heart. Not that it mattered. She raised her hand, preparing to move the blade within the woman's body when the man interfered. An open palmed strike aimed at Kiriko's heart was avoided by quick reaction with her telekinesis. His hand, carefully aimed, suddenly flew wide. Kiriko spun on her heel, sending a hard spin kick into the man's abdomen. He collapsed quickly, and Kiriko put distance between them just in case he tried something foolish.

_That was almost too easy._ Kiriko thought as she looked at her fallen prey. The only one currently on her feet was the young girl she had shoved into the old man. The old one had yet to get up. Doubtless he couldn't, as Kiriko recognized him as a man who had long since retired from battle. Kiriko looked at the girl. She was worried, facing a strong enemy alone. Kiriko bet she was still inexperienced, the fear was quite noticeable. So too was something else. Kiriko could not place it until her expression changed. From one of stricken fear, to a smirk of triumph. Kiriko failed to see what had happened to alter her feelings.

It was only when she heard the shout behind her, that Kiriko realized she had been looking in the wrong direction.

"_Tsurukawa Ôgi!_"

It was only when she turned around to see the source of the voice, that Kiriko realized it had indeed been too easy.

"_Suiton: Heisei no Kawa!_"

----------

Chie had needed a distraction and, as luck would happen, the Hyuga had provided it. The four that showed up had immediately gauged Kiriko. Kiriko, filled with hatred as she was at the clan, forgot about Chie entirely and focused on them. It was exactly the chance she needed. As Kiriko flaunted her power to the four before her, Chie had managed to slip through the trees and reach the shoreline of the lake. Stepping onto the water, directly behind the fighting Kiriko, she had begun her sign weaving. She could feel the power welling behind her as she did. Her chakra, sent into the lake, grew stronger with every sign Chie complete. A pale glow began to emanate from it. It began churning and rippling. Then, with the final sign, Chie used the final part of the jutsu, the incantation, to bring its full effects about.

"_Tsurukawa Ôgi! Suiton: Heisei no Kawa!_"

It was a jutsu Chie liked not for its powerful effects, but for its ironic name. _Heisei no Kawa_, the River of Serenity, was one of the most secret moves of the Tsurukawa clan. A powerful Water element jutsu that resulted in powerful flooding of water that could not be called serene by any definition of the word. The water of the lake exploded behind Chie and proceeded to rush past her directly towards her target: Hyuga Kiriko.

Kiriko, alerted by the smirk of the youngest Hyuga there, turned just in time to see the chakra-crafted rapids heading right for her. She held her hand out in front of her, as if to tell the water to stop. The water suddenly halted, as if pushed back by an invisible dam. At Chie's bidding, it was still furiously attempting to attack Kiriko. All her focus was dedicated toward keeping Chie's flood at bay.

----------

The elderly Hyuga had suddenly sprung back to life and, along with the girl, had grabbed the man and woman and gotten clear of the water's path. Into a position to attack and finish Kiriko should Tsurukawa fail. At this point, that wasn't impossible. The fight between the two kuno'ichi had become a battle of wills with the victor being decided by who was more determined, and who held the greatest reserve of remaining chakra. 

Kiriko knew that she, so desperate to enact her vengeance, had no difficulty with determination. She only hoped that Tsurukawa's jutsu up to this point had left her more drained that Kiriko's jutsu had left her. 

Kiriko focused as much chakra into her brain as she could manage. Reinforcing her psychokinesis as much as possible. Much to Tsurukawa's shock, the raging flood before Kiriko began to be pushed back, heading back towards its creator.

_Yes!_ Kiriko thought with delight, _I will win! This girl shall die! Those Hyuga shall die! Then… then my sweet Shun, our revenge shall be done! I will be the victor tonight! My revenge wi_

----------

Chie had been putting as much of her power as she could into the River. It was her last shot, win or lose, to damage Kiriko. She was shocked to see Kiriko push the jutsu back. But then, with no warning, Kiriko's telekinetic dam burst. Chie's attack struck Kiriko at nearly full force. The strength of the flood knocked the woman off her feet. But only there did the jutsu's true nature surface.

Within the River of Serenity, Chie's chakra manipulated the water's current. Within the anything but tranquil river, the water pulled and pushed in every conceivable direction. Kiriko's body; her arms, her legs, her head, were whipped, pulled, and dragged within the water. The jutsu no longer blocked, the water ran its course leaving the edges of the forest around them decimated. The Hyuga, too, had moved further back, underestimating the power of the jutsu.

When all was done, in the middle of the soaked, muddy path, was the body of Hyuga Kiriko. Chie approached her cautiously, remembering the last time Kiriko had appeared thus. Though she knew now there was no cause for alarm. She looked at the woman she had fought so ferociously. She was breathing, but it was clear she would not move. The vacant expression in her face said it all.

Chie looked at Kiriko and understood. The lost eye, the broken limbs, the rage her heart had endured for so many years; she now felt none of it. Hyuga Kiriko felt no pain, no grief, no rage, no desire for revenge. The River of Serenity had struck an already defeated woman. A woman finished by her desire for revenge, and the lengths to which she had gone to achieve it.

Hyuga Kiriko was now destroyed by her hatred. Now, before Chie, a body lay. A body that breathed only because what was left of her mind made it do so.


	18. Turning Point

**_NARUTO  
DIPLOMACY_  
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN**  
BY  
Sgamer82

Taiki found himself stymied more than he would have expected. Hinata's use of an unusual Taijutsu style was working well to her advantage. Taiki suspected this is just as Hinata had hoped when she chose it as her strategy. Direct attacks had proven useless. Hinata's stances allowed for quick and nimble movement, evading every attempt at a direct hit. Feints were slightly more successful, hampered only by the fact that Hinata's current style allowed for movement in one of several directions at any given moment. The forest that was their battleground also served to Hinata's advantage. Much of her evasion had been in the form of jumping from tree trunks and acrobatics among the tree limbs.

While her defense had proven strong, Hinata had so far yet to attempt any kind of offense. Her only attempts to hit Taiki so far had been counterattacks. Dodging one strike and aiming a _Jûken_ strike of her own in that split second Taiki's attack left him open. Most he had parried or countered in turn. However, some had managed to land, particularly a slight blow to his belly with her left food. His movements were rendered more difficult with his now twice-injured stomach arguing against his every movement. Hinata was being very careful. She was injured, fighting an opponent of proven superior skill. There were also two four-man groups of Hyuga headed towards them. With reinforcements imminent, Hinata didn't need to win, merely stall and keep Taiki there. Taiki, meanwhile, needed things to finish quickly.

With time of the essence, Taiki considered his options. Hanabi had yet to move from where he had attacked her. Taiki doubted the _Hebi no Nirami_ he had used on her was still in effect. Now she was simply waiting for her chance. For the moment Hinata kept him occupied long enough for her to run towards her approaching clansmen. A direction that would place her dangerously close to the fighting.

Until now, Taiki had been splitting his attention between Hinata, Hanabi, and the coming Hyuga. Even as he fought and chased the elder sister, he had not allowed himself to be drawn away from the younger. Taiki needed to make sure Hanabi didn't flee. He considered freezing her in place with the _Hebi no Nirami_ to do so. But he knew even as he thought it that there would be no chance of the jutsu being used. Hinata would certainly not allow him the time needed for the needed hand signs. Using it without signs was also out of the question. Even with the _Byakugan_ active, doing that required direct eye contact between Taiki and his victim. Hinata had learned her lesson from their last encounter, and had been utilizing her trick of shielding her eyes with chakra before the fight had even begun. As for Hanabi, the moment he turned his head to make an attempt Hinata would be alerted to his intentions and, even should he accomplish his goal, the effects of the sign-less Serpent's Glare would not last long enough and only reveal to Hanabi the means through which he had frozen her earlier if she did not already know.

Taiki's next move became clear. Whatever he intended, be it using the _Hebi no Nirami_, killing Hanabi, or simply escaping, there was one thing he needed to do first. He had to remove the one obstacle in the way of his every option. Taiki put Hanabi, the approaching Hyuga, and even Kiriko aside for the moment. He had one goal only now.

Kill Hyuga Hinata.

----------

Hinata did not fail to notice the subtle change in her opponent's demeanor. Taiki's attacks had, until now, been fierce, but not all he had. Hinata's _Jûhaken_ was making him hesitate some, giving Hinata an advantage. His mind was further occupied with making sure Hanabi didn't get away. Hinata had been mere an irritating obstacle, but now Taiki's goals had changed. Hinata could sense that his attacks would only grow in ferocity, as he now seemed intent on Hinata, and Hinata only.

Hinata was surprised to find she wasn't scared. On the contrary, she was glad. If Taiki's focus was entirely on her, it was the chance she needed to make sure Hanabi got to safety. However, she was not without her concerns. While _Jûhaken_ was serving her well, there was no telling how long that would last. Her defensive maneuvers had done their job remarkably. Would her offensive techniques be up to fighting Taiki when he became serious? She thought of this as she shifted her stance, a kneel with her arms stretched out and back. Could _Jûhaken_ win?

_In the end… it doesn't matter._ Hinata answered herself. Her ability to defeat Taiki was not important. What mattered was her ability to keep fighting him. _That,_ Hinata thought as she began her attack, _is something I know I can do._

She leapt forward from her kneeling position and began charging Taiki. The man watched and prepared to block. He brought up his arms to defend against what looked to be Hinata's intent of a dual _Jûken_ blow with both hands. As Hinata brought her hands forward to strike, Taiki had his hands in perfect position to catch them. Only when he grabbed Hinata's hands in his did Taiki seem to realize he had made a mistake. Hinata had never intended her initial move to be an attack. Taiki understood this as he found Hinata's hands lacked the force to be even an effective blow of the Gentle Fist. The moment Hinata's hands were in Taiki's, she pulled backward. Instinctively, Taiki resisted with his own pull, and fell into Hinata's trap. Using her grasp on Taiki as leverage, she performed a sudden jump kick, planting the soles of both her feet firmly into Taiki's chest with as much force as she could manage. Taiki's hands let go, allowing Hinata to finish her maneuver with a near perfect back flip.

----------

Taiki staggered. That last blow had done significant damage. His breathing was obstructed, and he strongly suspected Hinata had managed to break a rib or two. He counted his blessings that she at least had neglected to make her attack a _Jûken_ strike. Had she used the Gentle Fist in that strike he would have been dead for certain. This knowledge only renewed Taiki's determination. He would not allow himself to fall so easily again. He was beginning to see something had missed before. Whatever the new Taijutsu of Hinata's was, it was imperfect. Taiki was slowly realizing a glaring flaw that he suspected the girl herself had not yet seen. Taiki held back a grin. The way to Hinata's certain defeat was open. He prepared himself as Hinata shifted stances once more. It seemed that, emboldened by her initial success, Hinata would go on the offensive again. Taiki studied her intently. He would have mere moments to think and act.

The stance was similar to what Taiki had seen of the Main Family's Hakkeshô Kaiten. There were differences. Primarily in that Hinata's torso was bent forward while her legs were positioned as though to begin running. Taiki quickly pondered this, and was ready for her next strike before she had even broken into her run.

Hinata charged with as much speed as she could manage. Following what he knew to be her plan, Taiki brought out a kunai and swung it in her direction. The attack failed, as he knew it would, when Hinata hopped into the air and performed the move her stance had prepared her for.

"Kaiten!!"

Hinata's body began spinning horizontally in mid-air. Taiki had been impressed when he realized that this was her tactic. Hinata was making good use of the Kaiten's repelling properties. Using them to send her into the air unexpectedly.

"Inspired idea, Hinata-sama!" Taiki commended as he reached out and grabbed the ankle of the foot Hinata had swung at him in an attempt at a surprise spin kick from above, "But to no avail!" he finished, tightening his grip on Hinata's ankle and throwing her down to the ground.

Taiki allowed his smile this time. He had guessed correctly after all, it seemed. Hinata's unusual fighting style possessed a severe flaw. At first glance, the wide variety of poses suggested an equally wide range of movements and attacks. The actual fact of the matter was that the moment Hinata committed to a pose, her actions actually became quite limited.

Hinata writhed on the grass on which Taiki had thrown her. She struggled to move and get back up. Taiki gave a nod of acknowledgement to Hinata's continued efforts as she managed to roll over and get to her hands and knees. He decided to give her the courtesy of a quick end. Taiki raised his kunai, prepared to strike it into Hinata's back while she was still trying to get to her feet.

A sharp pain erupted suddenly in Taiki's leg. The kunai fell out of his hand in shock and looked down to see a second knife sticking out of his left thigh.

_How?!_

Turning his gaze upward, he saw the source of the attack. Hyuga Hanabi stood a fair distance away, a grin of triumph upon her face. She had thrown the very kunai with which Taiki had very nearly stabbed her with earlier. The one that had fell from his hands when Hinata had interfered.

_Damn i-_

Taiki's thoughts were interrupted by a kick to his stomach. He coughed up blood as Hinata's blow, this time enhanced through _Jûken_, did significant damage to his innards. The pain in his wounded leg suddenly doubled as he foolishly tried to hold himself up on it, causing him to fall over onto his side.

Hinata had, in this time, managed to get to her feet. She stood over him now, holding in her hand the blade Taiki had let slip from his grasp when Hanabi's had hit. Hinata kicked him over onto his back and bent over him, holding her knife to his throat.

"You lose, Taiki-nii-san." she said, "You are too injured to continue fighting, now."

"So I am." Taiki conceded, "What now, Hinata-sama?"

He looked right into her eyes, and saw them filled with resolve. He knew what was coming next. Or he thought he did, as Hinata's next action shocked him.

"You leave." Hinata said, as she stood and pocketed her weapon.

"What?!" Taiki and Hanabi exclaimed together.

"Those coming aren't protecting themselves against your _Dôjutsu_. You can use it to escape from here. Take Kiriko and get away. Chie won't stop you. Tell her 'Phantom is letting us go.' and she will let you leave."

"Nee-san!!" Hanabi yelled, "He tried to kill us! How can you just let him go?"

Taiki was asking himself that very question.

"Hanabi…" Hinata said, "If I don't let him go, there will be only one other alternative. I would have to kill him and Kiriko-nee-san. I knew it might happen, and I thought I could face that. But… no matter what they have done, no matter what their intentions were, I refuse to do so if I can avoid it."

Taiki noticed Hinata's hands were shaking. But her eyes never lost that look of resolve.

"But Nee-"

"I won't be swayed, Hanabi!" Hinata told her, "I refuse to kill my own family!"

"Family?" Hanabi asked in confusion, "But they're Branch family and we're Main!"

"You know that isn't what I mean!" Hinata said, "Main, Branch, whatever we are, it does not change the fact Taiki is our cousin! It doesn't change the fact this blood is the same as ours! That is blood I absolutely will not see spilled!"

Both Hanabi and Taiki stared at the girl in silence. Taiki tentatively began to try and get up. Hinata held out her hand to aid him. As he was on his knees, unfortunately, their time ran out. The other Hyuga arrived at last. Main and Branch members both among the two groups. Hinata let go of Taiki in surprise, forcing the man to catch himself on his hands before hitting the ground.

The Hyuga present numbered eight, all of varying age and manner. There were at least three Branch among them, identifiable by their wearing Hitai-ate over their foreheads to cover the Juin curse, just as Taiki himself did. A man of the Main Family stepped forward. He was not the eldest present, but clearly he was the highest ranking Hyuga present besides Hinata and Hanabi.

"Hinata." the man said, speaking in a very formal manner even as he casually addressed the family heir, "Step aside. We shall attend to Taiki."

Hinata responded by standing between Taiki and the other Hyuga. She had redrawn her weapon and had it ready. As if to fight the eight standing before her.

"You will not kill him!"

The Branch Hyuga stared at her in amazement. The Main Hyuga whispered amongst themselves. The man in charge however, did not waver.

"This man has committed crimes against the Hyuga clan in general, and you in particular!" He held up his right hand, and was moments away from completing a one-handed jutsu sign, when Hinata's kunai flew by, grazing his hand.

"Why do you defend him?" he screamed as he held his now bleeding hand.

"I don't wish for him to die!" Hinata yelled, "No matter what he has done. I do not want him dead!"

"Do not be naïve, child." the eldest there, a woman, said, "These are the laws of the Hyuga clan. You cannot simply wish them away."

"Our law is to kill our own flesh and blood?" Hinata spat.

Some present looked away uncomfortably.

"Please." Hinata insisted, "I beg you. Let him take Kiriko-nee-san and leave the village…"

"That…" the old woman began as she bowed her head, "Is impossible."

"But-"

"Kiriko is no longer in any condition to go anywhere…"

"What?!" Taiki yelled, "No… that Mist girl couldn't've…"

"See for yourself." the woman told him.

Taiki's _Byakugan_ had flared to full strength even before she had finished speaking. He extended his vision as far as he could. He soon found the lake where Kiriko and Tsurukawa had fought. There, he saw the woman he loved, lying on the ground. She was severely injured. It seemed as though all her limbs were broken. Miraculously, she was breathing. She was alive, and those present were performing medical jutsu to try and restore her body.

And yet…

Taiki's focus shifted to his wife's face. To her eyes. There, he saw nothing. None of the spark of the woman he loved more than any other. The woman he had betrayed his clan for without hesitation. The woman whose love for him exceeded her hatred of his bloodline. He understood what had happened immediately. Her special jutsu, her _Chônôryoku_, had backfired at last.

"No!!" he screamed, burying his face into his arms, "I told you!!" he yelled as he wept, "I told you over and over that jutsu was dangerous!!"

Taiki's _Byakugan_ showed Hinata looking at him, sincere pain in her face. The other Hyuga, however, were not so sympathetic.

"Do you still object?" the man in the lead demanded of Hinata.

"I do!" came the answer. But not in Hinata's voice. Everyone's gaze fell down, between Hinata and the newcomers. Hanabi stood, arms open, as if defending her sister and cousin.

"I'm the one they wanted for their revenge!" she told them, "Nee-san and Chi-nee are the ones who risked their lives to save me! We're the ones who have the right to say what happens to Taiki and Kiriko! Why should you get your way when all you did was show up too late?!"

"Hanabi…" Hinata muttered.

"I…" Hanabi began again, "I don't know if it's a good idea to let them go… But it's what Nee-san wants so I'll stand by her!"

The Hyuga Main family members began talking to one another. Taiki ignored what bits he heard, which talked of keeping the situation from degrading any further than it had. He no longer cared what was to come. There remained only one thing left for him.

"Very well." said the man, "As you are both so adamant and, as Hanabi eloquently pointed out, you are the ones with the most right to decide the matter, we shall for now only return Taiki to the manor." Hinata gave a sigh of relief, "We will decide then what comes next. But I can make no guarantee-"

"_Hebi no Nirami_!!!"

For all those around him, everything stopped. Even Hinata, who appeared to have neglected her eye chakra in all that had been happening. Taiki struggled to get back to his feet. His injured leg, his stomach, his lungs all fighting against him. He pulled out the kunai lodged in his leg and staggered to the two Hyuga heirs. He looked at Hinata, the girl who had managed to best him against all odds.

"Hinata-sama… I thank you for your compassion. I commend you for being a worthy foe. But… Kiriko is gone now. Forever. I've nothing left. Nothing, save for bringing forth my love's one wish."

He dragged himself to where Hanabi, arms still outstretched, had placed herself between her sister and relatives. He prepared, at long last, to strike a killing blow and give his wife her wish for vengeance, when a sudden, unbearable, searing pain shot through his skull.

Screaming in agony, he fell to the ground, clutching his forehead in pain. He clawed at it with his fingers, as if it would do something to stop the pain. In doing so he ripped off his headband. When he saw it fall to the grass he understood what was happening to him.

_The _Juin!

The curse mark upon his brow was being used to kill him! But how?! He turned his head to the assembled Hyuga. All their hands were visible, and none were making any jutsu signs. None of them could be the ones doing this.

_But then who- No! It can't be!_

It seemed impossible. Yet, it was the only option. He turned his head the other way. There he saw, clearly visible, the left hand of Hyuga Hinata in a one-handed jutsu sign. He watched, transfixed, as Hinata's fingers changed positions at a crawling pace. His head was bursting when Hinata's hand reached the second position of the sign. The pain that had been only in Taiki's skull spread instantly to the rest of his body.

_How?!_

The _Hebi no Nirami_ was a paralysis jutsu. One which halted all but the most unconscious, unthinking of actions. Breathing, heartbeat, these actions continued unabated. However, to make any conscious movement when in the grasp of the Serpent's Glare took enormous willpower. To literally lift a finger required concentration beyond the ability of many.

"_Your attack… I… _blocked _it!"_

Hinata had already proven she could act in the Glare's hold. Taiki, through all the pain, looked to Hinata's face. No longer were her eyes determined. Now, they expressed only sorrow, and pain that seemed to almost rival what Taiki was suffering.

_Had she used the Gentle Fist in that strike he would have been dead for certain._

It couldn't be…

"_No matter what he has done. I do not want him dead!"_

She had tried to spare his life.

"_No matter what they have done, no matter what their intentions were, I refuse to do so if I can avoid it."_

She had tried to protect his life.

"_Why do you defend him?"_

_"I don't wish for him to die!"_

And yet…

"_I won't stand down. I won't go against my word! I will not allow you to harm my sister!!"_

She had not hesitated when her sister's life was placed in danger.

The _Hebi no Nirami_ was a paralysis jutsu. One which halted all but the most unconscious, unthinking of actions. Taiki looked into the face of one struck by that jutsu. Looked at the tears flowing down her face. Tears she was currently incapable of keeping back. Tears of one who was forced to betray what she had stood for to save the life of one she held dear.

As Hinata's hand came to the third sign. As she performed the final step of the jutsu that would kill the man she had fought so hard to spare. As his vision faded, and the _Juin_ curse on his brow vanished to nothingness. Hyuga Taiki used his last breath, to speak the only thing he could say while looking into the eyes of the girl before him.

"I am sorry… Hinata-sama…"


	19. Breaking Point

**_NARUTO  
DIPLOMACY_  
CHAPTER NINETEEN**  
BY  
Sgamer82

Hyuga Hiashi left the Hokage's office feeling very uneasy. Something in her manner, as he reported the success of his mission, seemed very off. Instead of being pleased, Hiashi detected a large amount of anxiety. It was carefully hidden, only someone with a Hyuga's training in body language would detect it. Nor was it only the Hokage. Others he passed by looked away, less skillfully hiding their desire to keep away from him. As if they wished to not be the ones to speak to him.

His uneasiness increased tenfold when, as he left the building, he saw the man waiting for him.

"Makoto?" Hiashi asked.

"Hiashi…" Saruwatari nodded in response.

"Hospital?" Hiashi asked. Saruwatari shook his head.

"Then tell me on the way to the manor!" Hiashi said as he suddenly began running towards his home.

The Hokage, the other ninja. The unease he felt at their reactions failed to compare to seeing the grief in Saruwatari Makoto's expression. That expression, on a man whose very career was in controlling his emotions meant only one thing. One thing that forced Hiashi to ask himself just what had happened while he was gone.

Hiashi received his answer as he ran for the Hyuga manor as fast as he could go without Makoto losing him. When he reached his home, he wasted no time with greeting those who were at the gate, or even the customary report to the clan's elders. Instead, he ran through the house. Climbing steps and charging through halls until he reached the door he sought. His running ended only when the door he had tried to open failed to move at his pull.

"It's no good." said a voice.

"She's locked herself in." said another. Looking around, his youngest daughter and the Mist ninja, Tsurukawa, were sitting down on the floor on either side of the door. Hiashi examined the door more closely, using the _Byakugan_. It was, indeed, locked from the inside. Along with the room's normal locks, Hinata had placed charms around the door and walls of the room. The charms were a sealing jutsu. The papers on the door created a lock maintained by Hinata's chakra, which rendered it very difficult to open without a lot of force. Hiashi also recognized some as charms that could block the _Byakugan's_ view of a room, used within the Hyuga manor and without as a means of keeping those with the _Byakugan_ lacking the proper clearance from seeing what was inside the space the charms surrounded. As a result, there was no seeing beyond the charms themselves.

"Saruwatari told me what happened. Has she been in there since?"

Tsurukawa nodded.

"It's been days." Hanabi reported, "Right after she was treated for her injuries, she came back here and locked herself in. Chi-nee and me have tried to call out to her, but it's like she can't hear us."

"It's probably more accurate to say that she's being stubborn." Tsurukawa corrected Hanabi.

"You're only saying that because we made that bet." Hanabi told her.

"I made that bet because I think it's true." Chie retorted.

"Bet?" Hiashi asked. It was Tsurukawa who answered.

"I was trying to lighten things up a bit." she answered, gesturing to Hanabi, "After the first day she started to worry."

"I see." Hiashi replied, taking another look at the charms. They seemed well made. He couldn't see inside the room beyond the charms themselves, the ones on the door also, in addition to a lock, had a barrier preventing physically breaking down the door. He placed a hand on the door and began to manipulate his chakra towards it. With a nod he brought his hands together in front of him and began weaving a long and complex series of signs. By its end, Hiashi shouted "Kai!" and slammed both hands against the door. Instantly Hiashi found himself able to see inside, and the door slid open as easily as it normally did.

Tsurukawa and Hanabi were on their feet at once, but Hiashi raised a hand to stop them.

"I know you are concerned. But I wish to speak to Hinata alone, first."

Hanabi bowed her head and stepped back. Tsurukawa looked ready to argue, though.

"I have no intention of berating her, or scolding her, or punishing her." Hiashi assured the girl, "You needn't worry."

The girl looked unconvinced, but stepped aside nonetheless. Hiashi walked inside. He saw Hinata sitting at a desk in the study she had appropriated. Her head was resting on the desk which was littered with papers and brushes. Hiashi saw the girl was fast asleep which, judging by the dark marks around her eyes, was badly needed.

Hiashi examined the room as well as his sleeping daughter. It wasn't hard to deduce what had happened. Hinata had taken this room as quickly as possible, sneaking out and leaving it only when the needs of her body (food and the like) absolutely demanded it. Otherwise she remained here, working, neglecting meals and sleep as she did whatever it was she was so determined about. Hiashi looked over the girl's shoulder to see what she had been reading and let out a gasp.

Spread around Hinata's head were scrolls and books detailing information on paper charms and curses. Hiashi realized these were what Hinata had used to learn to seal the doors and room off. But, more shocking, were the curses. Before he could think more on that, Hinata began to stir, awakened by Hiashi's gasp. She released a gasp of her own when she saw her father standing over her.

"F-Fath-"

"What is this?!" Hiashi asked, perhaps more harshly than he'd intended, because Hinata had recoiled slightly at his voice.

"They-they-they're… about curse marks…" Hinata said.

"You've been in this room for days… studying these…?"

Hinata nodded. Hiashi didn't ask why. He knew what had happened. The reason was obvious.

"Hinata…" Hiashi began, but Hinata cut him off.

"Don't." she said, her head bowed, "Don't tell me to stop. I don't want to disobey you."

"And you would do that, wouldn't you." Hiashi said. He wasn't asking her. He knew it was true. She nodded. She said nothing. Thanks to Saruwatari, Hiashi knew where her mind was focused.

----------

_Hinata, Hanabi, and the other eight Hyuga remained motionless, still caught in Taiki's final _Hebi no Nirami_. Gradually it wore off, and movement returned to them all. The Hyuga elder and those with him ran to the heirs to make sure they were safe. Hanabi assured them she was okay. Hinata ignored them. Her gaze drifted to the body of the man that had just died. The man she had just killed. Hinata fell to her knees and vomited. _

_"Nee-san!" Hanabi cried, running to her sister's side. Hanabi saw the tears running down her face._

_"No… I didn't want…" Hinata sobbed._

_Hinata suddenly grabbed her sister into a crushing hug._

_"I swore I'd never use that jutsu…" she said as she held on to Hanabi._

_Hanabi was at a loss, she could only hug back. Hanabi had never seen Hinata like this. Crying and trembling, seeking any support she could get. _

_"Nee-san…" Hanabi said, thinking of something, anything, "Y-you did what you had to. If you hadn't… I would… we would…"_

_"Enough!" snapped a voice. Hinata did not respond. She clutched Hanabi, trembling. Hanabi looked into the face of the eldest Hyuga. The man looked down at them, a glare of contempt focused on Hinata. _

_"We watched your battle with Taiki while we came here." he said, "I had thought that you put up an admirable fight, Hinata. But to learn that you could have finished this at any time you wished and did not… You hesitated when you had the means to finish this quickly. You allowed this situation to escalate far beyond what you were capable of preventing. You are a disgrace to this clan!"_

_Hinata suddenly stopped trembling. She stood up and faced the elder. Hinata stood straight and tall. Though tears continued to run down her face, her eyes were not those of a crying girl. None present had ever seen such a look on the gentle Hinata's face before. The icy glare she gave the man before her would have frightened a lesser man. Her voice did not raise when she spoke next, yet it carried to every Hyuga present loudly and clearly._

_"A disgrace? I am a disgrace? For what, precisely? For keeping to my ideals? For trying to find another way? For wanting, above all else, to spare my cousin? For not doing so only as the very last resort? Tell me what is so disgraceful about not wanting to spill the blood each and every one of us shares!"_

_The Hyuga elder stood there, outraged beyond response. Hinata did not let up._

_"You are right, though. This whole affair need not have happened as it did. There was a time, perhaps, when maintaining the two families within the clan was a necessary evil. But I can not see that the time is still here. Yet we persist in keeping our clan divided. In bringing suffering to our own. It was these ways, and the tragedies they caused that brought this all about!"_

_"How dare you?!" snapped a woman among the Hyuga, taking over for the old man. She brought up her hand to slap Hinata only to have her wrist grabbed by another. A young man who was of the Branch family. _

_"Let me go!" she ordered. _

_"Not if you insist on harming Hinata-sama." the man replied. The woman brought her hand back to her side, rubbing her wrist where it had been grabbed. Hinata herself was momentarily surprised, as well, until the woman spoke again. _

_"The ways of the Hyuga are the most ancient in Konoha. Who are you, girl, to question these ways?"_

_"I am the heir of the Hyuga clan." Hinata replied, "And not only do I question them, I intend to change them!"_

_"What did you say?" the woman shouted._

_"Did you not hear?" Hinata said, "I said I will change the Hyuga clan!!"_

----------

"You meant every word, didn't you, Hinata." Hiashi said, again not a question.

"I did. The clan can't continue like this. It will only cause more heartbreak. More tragedies."

"That is why you have locked yourself in here since coming home. Why you've researched curse jutsu." he looked at some of the papers on Hinata's table, "You realize removing the _Juin_ from a member of the Branch is impossible."

"But adding a mark to another is not." Hinata replied. Hiashi looked Hinata in the eyes.

"Do you mean to say-"

"What I've studied isn't a way to remove a _Juin_, but how to perform one. I'm going to create a new mark, one _every_ member of the clan can bear with pride! Maybe I can not do anything for the Branch Family today, but future generations needn't walk that same path. When I lead this clan I were merge the two families into one!"

It was rare for Hyuga Hiashi to have no response. Never had he seen this fire in Hinata's eyes, it seemed to emanate from her very soul.

"You are determined, that it is true." Hiashi said to her, "But mere determination alone will not be enough. Just creating this new _Juin_ alone will not be enough. Those entrenched in the old ways far outweigh those who would wish reform, and you made enemies of most all of them with your declaration that night."

"So…" Hinata said, her eyes retaining that fire, "Are you saying it's impossible, then? That I should give up?"

"I am merely saying," Hiashi replied, "That to bring changes to this clan will require an individual of great talent. Someone with the skills necessary to unite people, salve old wounds, and stay calm in the face of heated beliefs. Someone who is prepared to fight an endless and losing battle while maintaining the will to succeed. It is no easy task. I tried to be this individual, but I failed."

"Father…" Hinata gasped, her eyes' fire faltering. Hiashi was quiet for several moments.

"However, Hinata, _you_ may well be the one capable of bringing about that change."

"What?!" Hinata replied in shock, "No. That's not true. Don't say such things… I can't take it… how can you say them to me? I'm a failure. I swore I'd never go back on my word! I swore I'd never use the _Juin_ to kill! I swore I'd find a way to keep Taiki-nii-san and Kiriko-nee-san alive! I failed! Nothing I said could change their minds… I had to break my promises… I had to kill Taiki-nii-san with the _Juin_!"

"Hinata…"

"And… and… I'd do it all again! If I had to… if I had to do it over, I wouldn't do anything differently!!"

With that confession Hinata could no longer hold her emotions in. The tears she had released only for those moments on that night began to flow again. The tears she had kept back by putting all her focus on her work, ignoring the attempts by others to coax her out of the room, stopping only when her body required her to rest or eat. Hinata cursed herself as the tears she had kept back in the faces of those who had angered her, in front of those who were concerned for her, now released themselves before the man whose respect she craved most.

"I'd break my promises! I'd kill him again!"

To Hinata's surprise, he embraced her and said nothing as Hinata cried. No words were exchanged as she sobbed into Hiashi's shirt. Minutes passed before the crying subsided, with one last hiccup, Hinata pulled herself from her father's grasp. She looked up at her father, expecting the stern look of a man who could withhold his emotions easily looking back at her. She was not disappointed, but beneath that stern expression, Hinata realized he.

"Hinata…" Hiashi began, holding up a finger to stop her reply, "Your sister was placed in danger. You fought with all your heart to protect her while also holding onto your Nindô. From what I was told you did not waver once, not even when you were forced to choose between you family and your beliefs. Even now, you're seeking to make amends for what you see as your failure."

Hinata stood there, taking her father's words in.

"I can not tell you if what you have done is right or wrong. My only advice is that if you indeed feel guilt for what has happened, then you must find some way to atone. I believe you are already on that path as you seek to change that which caused so many so much pain. Hinata, I meant what I said, you _can_ become the one who will change this clan for the better. You've already made several important steps without even realizing it."

"What do you mean?"

"Have you been eating, while locked away in here?" Hiashi asked, a hint of a grin on his face.

"Yes. There's been food left by the door periodically," Hinata had managed to sneak it in when Chie and Hanabi were distracted or asleep, "But what does that-"

"That is proof of what I say. I am certain that, if I were to ask the elders of the Main Family, they would say the ordered no food sent to you. They would have attempted to starve you out of hiding."

"But then who?" Hinata asked looking at the plates of eaten food left around the room.

"Who prepares the meals of this household? Who takes them to the high ranked members who will eat them?"

"The Branch Family…?!" Hinata asked in surprise. Hiashi nodded.

"Your efforts to prevent death have touched many, Hinata. I told you that you had gained the enmity of many of the Main Family's elders. For the same reasons they feel antagonized, the majority of the Branch Family, it seems, have chosen to place their loyalty with you."

She wanted to deny this. To wonder how they could feel that way when she had killed one of their own. But she understood. She understood what her father was saying. She had had the power to finish it all quickly and ruthlessly. She had withheld it. She had kept others from using it themselves.

"I will do it." Hinata swore, "I _will_ change this clan! I will make it better! Stronger! More than a clan! A true family!"

To Hinata's surprise, Hiashi was smiling. With a nod he began to walk out of the room.

"I will leave you to your work then, Hinata. I will ensure nobody disturbs you, so please leave the door open. Your friend and sister have been worried for you."

"Yes, sir." Hinata replied, making a note to apologize to Chie and Hanabi.

"And one more thing." Hiashi said, stopping at the door and turning to face Hinata once more, "'I will change the Hyuga.' Did you know another person once spoke those words?"

"Huh?" Hinata asked in confusion, "I, I didn't."

"Then let me tell you now. He is a boy about your age, one of your old classmates in fact."

Hinata stared at her father.

"I tell you this, because I think you will be more determined knowing you won't be alone in your battle. I will do what I can, you will have Hanabi and the Branch Family as well. But, in the end, I think it will please you most to know our future Hokage will be on your side, as well."

With that, Hiashi left the room. Hinata stared at him as he left. Surely he didn't mean who he thought she did.

"Nee-san!" Hanabi cried wrapping her arms around her sister.

When Hiashi left, he left the door open, letting Chie and Hanabi slip through and confront Hinata at last.

"He didn't chew you out did he?" Chie said as she walked up to Hinata.

"No, everything's fine." Hinata assured her. Indeed it was. Mostly. The guilt for what had happened in the woods still pulled at Hinata, and perhaps always would. But her father was right, if what happened bothered her so, the best thing she could do was make amends for what she had done. As Hinata allowed her friend and sister to drag her outside for fresh air, Hinata's mind for one more moment dwelled on what her goal now was to be._  
_

* * *

** AUTHOR'S NOTE: **If you think it's odd that Hinata is so upset over being willing to kill someone to rescue her sister, ponder this: What can scare a good person more than the knowledge that she is capable of an act such as murder without hesitation?_  
_


	20. Ending Point

**_NARUTO  
DIPLOMACY_  
CHAPTER TWENTY**  
BY  
Sgamer82

Hinata, Hanabi, and Chie left the Hyuga manor. Chie knew Hinata didn't like leaving the work she had begun. Fortunately, Hinata also understood Chie and Hanabi had been worried about her. So she offered no resistance when they pulled out outside and insisted on a walk and fresh air. The three walked in silence for several minutes before anybody spoke.

"I'm sorry…" Hinata said. Chie and Hanabi stopped to look at her.

"It's okay, Nee-san." Hanabi insisted.

"No, it isn't. I was so absorbed in my own problems I shut you out. I heard you both trying to get in and I ignored you."

To Hinata's surprise, Chie grinned while Hanabi looked horror struck.

"NO!" Hanabi shouted, "You weren't ignoring us! You were just caught up in your work and didn't hear us? Right!"

"Too late, Firecracker!" Chie said with a laugh, "She admitted it herself, she ignored us. Pay up!"

Hinata watched in confusion as Chie held out her hand, and Hanabi handed her a small bag with coins in it.

"That's the last of my pocket money!" Hanabi whined.

"Too bad. You made the bet and you lost the bet. That's all there is to it."

"You… you made a bet on whether or not I was ignoring you?"

"Yep!" Chie said, as she put the small bag in a pocket. Chie couldn't help grinning more as Hinata suddenly looked a little less apologetic. The little group walked on with no set destination. Their silence soon passed over into casual chatting.

"So you're going home, then?" Hinata asked, for Chie had just announced she no longer studying Dojutsu.

"Well, I still have a few things left to do here. Finishing up our villages' information exchange and all. So it won't be too soon, but as far as my personal business goes I'm done."

"What changed your mind?" Hanabi asked.

"Well… it was this whole thing with your cousins." Chie answered, "Kiriko in particular. When I fought her I realized a few things. My mother's last request was to not seek revenge. Now that I understand why, I'm going to honor that. I won't go hunting for her killer anymore."

"That's probably for the best." Hinata agreed.

"Don't get me wrong though." Chie suddenly said, "If I ever get a shot at him I'm taking it! I'm just not gonna go out of my way for _his_ sake anymore."

"I see." Hinata said, then, with a sigh, asked, "What's happened with Kiriko-nee-san?"

Hinata's companions suddenly turned solemn.

"She passed away." Chie admitted, "About a day and a half after Taiki died. Sorry, Phantom. I tried not to go too hard. Knew you didn't want her dead. But she was tough. I had to use my best jutsu to take her down…"

"It's okay…" Hinata said, Chie looked at her warily, "I mean it. You did what you had to, same as I. Perhaps… perhaps now the two of them can be reunited with Shunichi-kun."

There was a brief moment of silence between the three.

"What about you?" Chie eventually asked Hinata, "Gonna leave the diplomats now that you've got your Mission in Life?"

"I was, initially." Hinata said, "But some of the things my father said make me think staying there would be a good idea. I can learn skills that will prove very useful to my goals in the future."

"And Saruwatari-ojisan said you were getting good at it." Hanabi said.

"Did he?" Hinata asked, blushing slightly.

"Yep." Hanabi said.

"You up for it?" Chie asked, "Reforming an entire clan is no small feat. My mother actually held off putting me into our academy at first because they were still reforming the _Genin_ trial. And that was with most everybody admitting there was a problem."

"Yeah, a lot of people won't like what you wanna do, Nee-san." Hanabi pointed out.

"I know it won't be easy. Father said I had to be prepared to fight a losing battle. But I think… I know I can do it." Hinata said firmly.

"Yeah!" Hanabi cheered.

"So, what do we do next?"

"Well," Hinata replied, "I'm starting to feel a bit hungry."

"Me too!" Hanabi agreed, "We should've eaten before we left."

"No, I think I'd prefer something else, anyway." Hinata said, "How about we get something at Ichiraku?"

"Yeah!" Hanabi agreed happily, then suddenly shot an angry look at Chie, "But I haven't got any money to buy anything…"

Chie's expression darkened as she realized where this was heading.

"Oh!" said Hinata in surprise, "I'm afraid I don't either…"

The Hyuga sisters stared at Chie in silence. Chie caved quickly.

"Okay… I'll treat you…" she said, following it with various mutterings she made sure the other two could only just hear, including "I just got that money, too…" and "Phantom'll make sure I come out of this broke, I know it…"

Hanabi giggled as she and Hinata smiled as Chie used the money she had just won off Hanabi to buy their lunch. As Hinata ate, her mind went back to her new goal. Part of her didn't want to go back home to resume her work. Part of her wished this simple day out with her friend and sister would last forever. But she knew it wouldn't be. She had much ahead of her now. She was going to be the one who changed her clan. The one who ended the heartless cycle of tragedy that it allowed.

She was Hyuga Hinata.

* * *

**AUTHORS NOTES:  
**After oh so long, I am finally finished with this story. I want to personally thank all those that kept up with it since the start for staying with it. Also, some little trivia bits to make the last of it a bit more worthwhile. 

**CHARACTER NOTES:****  
Tsurukawa Chie** - As noted a while back, Chie is not my creation. She came from the mind of my friend Toujin, along with madoshi. There were particular reasons I chose to use Chie here. First of all, I liked th challenge of writing another person's character to see how well I could do it. Also, Chie gave Hinata someone Naruto-like to interact with without actually having Naruto around. I didn't want things like pairs and focus on Naruto to steal the limelight from Hinata as, from the start, I had this planned as Hinata's story. Granted, I could've used Kiba for someone Naruto-like, but Chie helped to also tie in with the diplomat angle (inspired by KlosetAuthor's Hinata's Story).

While I can't take credit for Chie, I can claim credit for some of her jutsu in her fight with Kiriko. In particular the _Heisei no Kawa_, the name of which is derived Joss Whedon's television series _Firefly _and its movie, _Serenity _(one of the central characters of both was a genius girl with empathic abilities named River).

**Hyuga Taiki & Kiriko** - Their names were derived from one of those "Find your Japanese name" things where you enter your name and it comes out with a Japanese one. Though I've long since forgotten what I'd entered to get Taiki and Kiriko. To be honest, there's one aspect of these two characters that I have to feel proud of. That is the fact that these two, despite having the same goal, actually possess drastically opposite motivations. Kiriko was driven by her utter hatred of the Hyuga, Taiki by his complete love for Kiriko. A scene I'd had but never used for them was a mini-flashback where Taiki was the one who suggested revenge against the clan because Kiriko was on the verge of committing suicide (the revenge plot would give her reason to continue living).

Their respective jutsu were inspired by ways to fight the _Byakugan _(Kiriko) and use it alternatively (Taiki). Since Branch members don't have access to Kaiten or Rokujuuyon-shou I had thought they would develop their own individual methods of combat (this was also seen in the Branch Hyuga in Ghostly Eyes). In Kiriko's case, it also displayed how far gone she was and how determined she was for her vengeance.

**Hanabi** - As mentioned before I think, Hanabi's personality here is based on two factors. one is the fact most fics have her as hating Hinata, and I love to mess with what's already been done. The other is what is pretty much Hanabi's sole speaking role in the entirety of the series (start of Naruto vs Neji, in which she expresses surprise at the suggestion that Neji is superior to her sister).

**Other Notes:**  
I do have an idea for a third story in this little plotline. In which a secret concerning Hinata's mother threatens her chances of reforming the Hyuga. Though I'm not sure if/when Ill do it. I have several (okay, three) original story projects I want to focus on a bit before I proceed on anything. If I do work on this story and write it, however, I _will not_ post it until it is complete. I'm furious at myself for how shoddily I updated this story and would rather it not happen again if I can help it. In the meantime though, I might do a couple of one-shot ideas I had. One features a cetain someone remembering Naruto's birthday when most people ignore it, and a story featuring Ino and Choji after the Great Sasuke Chase.

In conclusion, thanks to everyone who read this far. I hope you enjoyed the story.


End file.
